Extra credit
Successfully exploiting the "free" overclocking headroom available with most budget processors can act like a gateway drug, pulling you deeper into the obsessive underbelly of the overclocking world. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. While most folks will probably want to limit their overclocking exploits, the more adventurous will find no shortage of options for further advancement.

We've only dealt with basic processor overclocking today, but if you're willing to dole out some cash for a fancy water or sub-zero cooling system, you should be able to push your processor's clock speed even higher. Other system components can be overclocked, as well. Overclocking your memory is probably the easiest to tackle next, since it can be done by manipulating bus dividers through the motherboard BIOS. For this, you'll want some fancy memory modules rated for operation at higher speeds; budget or generic DIMMs tend not to fare well when pushed beyond their specifications.

Once you've pushed your CPU to its limits, your system's graphics card awaits

Graphics cards are also prime candidates for overclocking, and you can push them to their limits without leaving the comfort of Windows. Nvidia's nTune system utility, for example, allows users to set GPU core and memory clock speeds. nTune also has a built-in stress test that can be used to validate the stability of a given configuration. There's no shortage of aftermarket cooling solutions for graphics cards, either.

Conclusions
Overclocking is almost a rite of passage for enthusiasts. Squeezing extra MHz from otherwise inexpensive processors speaks loud and clear to our drive to maximize the bang for our buck. If we can take advantage of market dynamics that force chip makers to bin processors fully capable of running at higher speeds to meet demand for low-end chips, then maybe we've stuck it to the man, as well. What's not to like about that?

If we've whetted your appetite for more, be sure to check the Overclocking, Tweaking, & Cooling section of our forums for more discussion of all things overclocking.

Thanks to Gigabyte for making this guide possible. If you think you've got a handle on this overclocking thing and are ready to show the world what you can do, head on over and check out Gigabyte's online overclocking contest. Gigabyte is giving out over $10,000 in cash prizes to its winners, with a top prize of $2500 for turning in the best overclock. With eight cash prizes and a host of other goodies at stake, including some very nice motherboards, your odds may be better than you'd think. Be sure to register and to mention TR when you do, if you will. We're hoping you guys will show up and represent us well in this one. Don't let those wankers from Tom's and Anand's hog all the prizes.