L2000 Series: Overclocking comes to the notebook

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta, zatni@cbn.net.id

When a Pentium processor leaves the foundry, Intel puts a label on it to tell the user what the maximum speed is. The speed limit is necessary to ensure safe operation of your PC, as the last thing Intel wants to hear is that a PC crashes because its Pentium processor is unstable or even fails.

If you run your PC at the speed designated by Intel, you should be able to use your machine 24 hours a day, seven days a week without a hiccup.

However, it does not mean that you cannot force the processor to run faster than the speed specified on the label. Sometimes, processors of exactly the same quality are rated for different speeds at the factory. There are a few possible reasons for this. For example, during the period when a processor running at 600 MHz is selling like hot cakes, Intel or even AMD may rate a 700 MHz processor as 600 MHz to meet market demand.

We can set the clock speed of the processor by tinkling with the BIOS. This will require a motherboard with a special BIOS that allows overclocking. ASUS has several motherboards for this, and now it has brought it to the notebook as well.

Another fact about overclocking is that it will generate a lot more heat than normal operation. Therefore, for an overclocked processor to be able to continue working, a lot of cooling mechanisms are required. Your processor, for example, must be equipped with the best heat sink to avoid heat buildup inside the processor. A powerful fan must be added to suck the air out and force cooler air to circulate around the heat sink. Needless to say, you will also need a good power supply to support the extra fan and to supply stable voltage to the processor.

A friend once said to me that overclocking was actually for hobbyists or junkies. Well, as today the difference in the prices of the same processors running at different speeds are not so significant, and as no matter what speed of Pentium 4 we choose we are likely to have more computing power than we need, there is a lot of truth in his statement. Today, people overclock their processor just for fun rather than for the increased performance.

However, in the past, when there was still a huge difference in the prices of the 600 MHz Pentium III and its 733 MHz sibling, for example, it was not uncommon that computer stores overclocked the processors and sold the PCs at a higher price to unsuspecting customers.

On many motherboards, overclocking requires changes in the switches. However, in some motherboards that have been built with overclocking in mind, the setting can be made through the BIOS. During boot up, we simply go into the BIOS setting, and then choose the overclock speed at which we want to test our system.

* The first overclocking notebook

Astrindo, ASUS distributor for Indonesia, called me and asked me whether I would be interested in test-driving the first notebook that could be overclocked. I said I would. So I had the chance to play around with a demo unit of their L2000 notebook for a week.

The notebook came with a Pentium 4 Mobile processor running at a clock speed of 1.7 GHz. It came with a standard internal CD-ROM and floppy diskette drive. Other amenities were quite impressive. It had two Firewire, or IEEE 1394 ports, one Infrared port, two USB ports, a mini serial port complete with a detachable adaptor for the standard serial port, a parallel port and a TV-Out port. There were also slots for two PC Cards and an optional 802.11b wireless transceiver.

To ensure better air circulation, the notebook had two fans, one at the rear and another on the bottom. This was perhaps what distinguished this notebook from the others. When the CPU was still cool at around 48 degree Celsius, the fans remained idle. It saved the power and reduced the noise. When the CPU's temperature reached a certain level, the fans would automatically kick off.

Despite its Pentium 4 processor that could be overclocked, other features of this did not include any truly compelling features. The 14.1-inch screen gives a high quality display, and the keyboard is just like the keyboard of the other ASUS notebooks that I have looked at. The battery was good for more than two hours. It seemed that the combination of Intel SpeedStep power saving technology worked well with ASUS' own PowerGear, resulting in a long battery life.

The magnesium cover on the L2000 was not polished like that on the slim S1 and M2 models that we have seen. The L2000 was also heavier and bulkier, which is understandable given the built-in drives and the extra room required to ensure that there was space for ample cool air.

Like the M2, the L2000 also had CD-player features that allowed us to play audio CD without having to turn the machine on.

* Low end

Although it ran on a fast Pentium 4 processor, this notebook was not really intended for professional workstation users. In fact, it was intended for a low-end to mid-range users who would like to have the power of a Pentium 4 processor in a full- packaged notebook.

Besides, although it is fun to play around with the overclocking feature -- at least until the novelty effect wears out, it does not really add up to anything meaningful. Intel has just released its Pentium 4 Mobile 2 GHz processor, making the ability to overclock a Pentium 4 1.7 GHz to 2 GHz rather superfluous. The motherboard in this notebook does not support speed beyond 2 GHz, although there is a possibility ASUS will provide a BIOS upgrade that will change it. Besides, overclocking involves a risk that the component will have a shorter life expectation.

All in all, this is a nice Pentium 4 notebook to have, and it is quite affordable, too. I would still prefer the M2 or even S1 more because of their slimmer and sexier design, though.