During the basic overclock testing, only standard air cooling devices were used. This is to ensure that the test results are as close as possible to what might be expected in real world experiences. Of course, you can always make use of alternative cooling devices such as Peltiers, water cooling devices or even liquid cooled cases. These can certainly have an impact on overclocking stability, but with processors as inexpensive as the Celeron 533A, 566 and 600, these add-ons simply add to the overall cost of the system. With the Celeron, Peltiers are your best bet, since they may only run you about $20-$30. Just remember that if a processor will not even boot at the assigned FSB, additional cooling probably won't solve your problem. Heavy duty CPU cooling really pays dividends with a processor that will function at the overclocked speeds, but heats up too rapidly and causes system instability.

The question of whether to buy an OEM or retail Celeron is a difficult one. The OEM versions come with a lower price tag than the boxed, retail versions, but only have a 30-day warranty, compared to the 3 year warranty offered with the retail model. The OEM chip will essentially ship bare, and does not include a heatsink of any kind. The retail CPU ships sealed in a box, with the CPU and heatsink/fan inside. The Intel FC-PGA heatsink found in the retail boxes are separate from the CPU itself, and once installed, can be removed at any time in the future. In addition, the retail Celeron also comes with full documentation, and a nifty sticker for placing on the outside of your case.

So now that you know the differences between processors, which one is right for you? If you're buying the Celeron to run at stock speeds, either one will do quite nicely. Since you're reading this article, I can only assume that you're ready for some serious Celeron overclocking, and for that express purpose the retail version is the best bet. It's not a difficult point to grasp, since there are a multitude of online vendors selling “guaranteed overclockable chips.” So where do you think they get these? They come from the illustrious practice of pre-testing CPUs to determine if they are overclockable or not, and exactly which speeds they can attain. Since the retail processors are sealed, that only leaves OEM chips to pre-test, so if you buy an OEM processor off the shelf, you stand a much higher chance of it being a reject of these overclocking tests.

In addition to its sealed nature, the retail chip also offers more advantages. It's been a popular rumor that Intel bin sorts their retail chips in a higher grade than they do the OEM ones. This is extremely logical from a business point of view, since these retail processors are going into the hands of many amateur system builders and Intel might not want to cut the rated speed too close. Regardless if this is fact or fiction, I've done quite a bit of overclocking with both OEM and retail processors and the results are firmly in the retail camp.

This has also borne out in the availability of various Celeron models. At one point, all speeds and models were easily found, but when the news of Celeron overclocking successes started leaking out, the retail Celeron 566 simply disappeared from most retail outlets. The OEM supply was undiminished, but the retail Celeron 566 had suddenly become a very hot commodity. Later on, the same thing happened to the retail Celeron 600, while the OEM model languished in the store bins.

The “guaranteed overclockable” Celerons mentioned above are also a viable option, as long as you don't mind paying a premium to get a faster chip. This kind of defeats the purpose of pure overclocking, but these pre-tested CPUs also take much of the guesswork out of the purchase. At the same time, if you're thinking of paying this sort of surcharge for a faster Celeron,. it might be more economically feasible to simply move up to a faster Pentium III instead.