Tip: We have a guide on fixing blue screens in Windows that you might want to read if you run into BSOD’s while overclocking hardware
Blue Screens of Death have been made more friendly in Windows 8, but they’re more probable than ever
That moment when you’re immersed in a video game, everything’s going well, and then it stops: you get the Blue Screen of Death, Windows way of telling you something hasn’t gone quite right. They’re back in Windows 8, of course, and Microsoft says to be wary of overclocking on the operating system.
Microsoft points out OEMs who have been tinkering with chips may cause the dreaded error screen, which seems worrying considering there are going to be a massive amount of third-party devices available later this year. Don’t buy a PC from an unknown manufacturer either. Build one yourself, actually, it’s pretty easy.
A report from last year that suddenly surfaced – pun intended – says overclocked PCs are more likely to crash. Isn’t that always the case, though? Technically overclocked isn’t meant to be done, but it’s such normal practice providing you have the processor and power supply to support overclocking. The issue comes when the power supply is underpowered or you’re pushing the PC too far.
Microsoft also said PCs are more likely to crash once it’s happened. That’s not true if you’re getting one or two Blue Screens of Death a day, like me, and then realize a not-fully-connected power supply is the reason it keeps happening.
Use Your Common Sense, Just Like Before
The report also compiled a top-20 lists of OEMs that consumers should buy from, including the usual suspects such as HP and Dell. Laptops were also said to less likely crash.
This all sounds like the usual advice: buy from trusted – though not overpriced, like PCWorld – sources and OEMs. Don’t ridiculously overlock, and make sure your processor and power supply support what ever GHz you’re clocking into.
Perhaps we should do a feature on building a PC? Then again, if I wrote it you’d probably be here for days — just like I was — and would end up spending more money than it would have to buy a new PC.