Raspberry Pi A, User Manual, Page: 116 / 314

P A R T I
C O N N E C T I N G T H E B O A R D
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7 Overclock
Overclocking refers to the process of running a device at a speed higher than its manufactur-
ers intended. The Raspberry Pi’s BCM2835 processor can be run above its default speed of
700MHz to boost the performance of the system. Such performance comes at a price, how-
ever, in that the chip will run hotter than before, will draw more power and may suffer from
a shorter lifespan than a Pi running at its default speed.
Although it’s possible to alter the performance of the BCM2835 processor manually (see
Chapter 7, “Advanced Raspberry Pi Configuration”) the safest way is to use
raspi-config
.
This limits you to a selection of preconfigured overclock settings (see Figure 6-3) that are
known to be safe for use with most Raspberry Pis.
Figure 6-3:
The pre-set
overclock
options included
in raspi-
config
WARNING
While the overclock settings available to
raspi-config
are reasonably safe and will not harm
your warranty, not all Raspberry Pis can reach the top speeds. If you find your Pi is unstable—
particularly if you are experiencing files on the SD card becoming corrupt—drop down to the
setting below the one you’re currently using, or return the Pi to its default 700MHz speed.
To overclock your Raspberry Pi, highlight the Overclock option with the cursor keys and
press Enter. Carefully read the message that appears and then press Enter to confirm that
you wish to continue. If you have changed your mind, you can just press Enter as soon as the
next screen appears to keep the stock speed of the Raspberry Pi intact.