I'm surprise that this simple question hasn't been addressed yet?
Q: Why should I overclock?
A: You overclock to squeeze as much available performance out of your processor as you can. Its useful if you are considering getting a new CPU just because its a little bit faster. If you have a 2.6GHz P4 and want to buy a 2.8GHz P4, consider overclocking your current CPU to see if you can get the 2.8GHz (should be easy in this case). Another use for overclocking is that you can also buy a cheaper CPU and overclock it to make it equivalent to, or faster than a much more expensive CPU. Say you want the new FX-60, but you don't want to spend over $1K on a CPU. Well, you can buy a cheaper CPU, such as the X2 4800 for a fraction of the price and overclock it to FX-60 speeds. If you feel confident in your abilities, you can go the cheap route and buy an opteron 165 and overclock the *(insert expletive here)* out of it to get the insane performance you want.
Q: Why should I overclock?
A: You overclock to squeeze as much available performance out of your processor as you can. Its useful if you are considering getting a new CPU just because its a little bit faster. If you have a 2.6GHz P4 and want to buy a 2.8GHz P4, consider overclocking your current CPU to see if you can get the 2.8GHz (should be easy in this case). Another use for overclocking is that you can also buy a cheaper CPU and overclock it to make it equivalent to, or faster than a much more expensive CPU. Say you want the new FX-60, but you don't want to spend over $1K on a CPU. Well, you can buy a cheaper CPU, such as the X2 4800 for a fraction of the price and overclock it to FX-60 speeds. If you feel confident in your abilities, you can go the cheap route and buy an opteron 165 and overclock the *(insert expletive here)* out of it to get the insane performance you want.