If you've been involved in the world of computers for any length of time, you've probably heard the term overclocking. For many, the term smacks of black magic, requiring inordinate amounts of skill, dedication, and possibly even a blood sacrifice or two just for good measure. In point of fact, nothing could be further from the truth. At it simplest, overclocking is nothing more than running a computer at a speed higher than the manufacturer intended, and while it does require a bit of knowledge and familiarity with your computer, the only blood you're likely to let during the process would be if you cut yourself on a sharp corner of the case. This article explores the basics of overclocking, from system requirements to actually doing the deed, uses as its example a motherboard based on nVidia’s newest chipset, the nForce 2, which has proven itself to be one of the most powerful and versatile chipsets on the market.