well the cpu you just installed is a black edition, which means its unlocked. Overclocking an unlocked cpu is as easy as raising the multiplier, IF your motherboard allows it.
There are always risks with overclocking, but the small raise in speed your looking for should not be an issue. Most cpu's are capable of at least 25%––35% increase in speed with decent cooling and power supply.
Originally Posted By brasilia:
Problem is I tried overclocking in the bios and didn't know enough of what I was doing and fried my 955 cpu dead as dead.
That's pretty impressive.
To play it safe, do it this way: Start at stock speeds. Increase speed in moderate steps, stress-testing after each bump. When it become unstable, bump the voltage up a *little*, then try again. Watch CPU temps while you're doing it.
Eventually, you'll start seeing temps get too hot for comfort, or you just won't be able to keep it stable any longer. But if you keep within parameters that allow stable operation, you shouldn't be able to kill the chip, at least not in a timeframe measured in less than years, or perhaps decades.
