Editing Northbridge (computing) (section)

==Overclocking==
The northbridge plays an important part in how far a computer can be [[overclocking|overclocked]], as its frequency is commonly used as a baseline for the CPU to establish its own operating frequency. This chip typically gets hotter as processor speed becomes faster, requiring more cooling. There is a limit to CPU overclocking, as [[digital circuit]]s are limited by physical factors such as rise, fall, delay and storage times of the [[Transistor#Transistor as a switch|transistors]], current gain bandwidth product, [[parasitic capacitance]], and [[propagation delay]], which increases with (among other factors) [[operating temperature]]; consequently most overclocking applications have software-imposed limits on the [[Frequency multiplier|multiplier]] and external clock setting. Additionally, heat is a major limiting factor, as higher voltages are needed to properly activate [[field effect transistors]] inside CPUs and this higher voltage produces larger amounts of heat, requiring greater thermal solutions on the die.