Changes

Not every CPU can be overclocked, nor does every motherboard/BIOS support it. An advantage of the Intel K series is that they are unlocked and can easily be overclocked. Also, certain Intel processors such as their Pentium 20th Anniversary CPU are sold unlocked for a cheaper price than K-series chips, and while they may lack features like hyperthreading, they're capable enough especially for those who would like to overclock on a budget. Keep in mind that budget motherboards e.g. certain Haswell H and B-series boards from ECS and ASUS only have options for setting the processor's multiplier and not voltages. Also, Intel may block overclocking on non-Z series boards in future microcode/BIOS updates. So if it can't play a game currently then you can, in many cases, overclock it until it is playable. Laptop CPUs often cannot be overclocked due to BIOS limitations. Extreme or incorrectly-done overclocking can cause instability and hardware damage. If the emulator starts having problems try again without overclocking. For older desktop motherboards, there is a chance of it supporting overclocking by increasing the FSB clock speed. This might or might not apply to many old motherboards. Generally, they should be capable of changing their FSB clock speed by a small edit in the BIOS. The issue is that those that support changing the FSB might not be capable of changing the processor's voltage without doing wire wrap modifications to the socket, making it difficult to sustain an overclock. There must also be a PCI/AGP lock to prevent the FSB from increasing other clock speeds of different components on the motherboard, this removes the chance of it killing or destroying other crucial components. You can still overclock without it, but try not to cross the 40MHz mark on the PCI bus. Regarding the processor, increasing voltage isn't exactly necessary for certain processors that are well-known to handle increases in clock speeds. Another factor is the motherboard: it depends on its VRMs to supply voltage, so lower-grade motherboards with lower-grade VRMs won't be as powerful enough to supply sufficient power for the processor be stable. Some older laptop CPUs can be overclocked. A surefire way to tell if you have an overclockable CPU is to check if it has an "Extreme" label on its name for Intel processors, or a "Black Edition" label on its name for AMD processors. Most laptops don't allow overclocking through the BIOS, so Throttlestop must be used to overclock these processors instead. However, if your laptop does not have enough room for temperatures to rise and stabilize - it is advised to NOT overclock! Otherwise, you will risk a chance of it getting destroyed in the process of mad overclocking. Though, most of the time it is saved by the forced thermal shutdown at 105/100C. If your processor is unfortunately not a Extreme or a Black Edition, you can try the old way of increasing the FSB clock speed through the PLL. The PLL or Phase-Lock-Loop is a chip that controls the FSB internally for desktops and laptops alike, since laptops have less flexibility in overclocking - we can exploit the PLL's advantages. In this case, we use CPUCool or SetFSB. That is, if your laptop's PLL is supported by one of these programs mentioned. This way of overclocking is similar to a desktop's way of overclocking, but with far less overclocking capacity. Remember, the same 40MHz PCI bus mark applies to laptops. They do not include a PCI/AGP lock either, so try not to go above the 40MHz PCI bus mark.