Intel Skylake CPUs may soon have overclockable baseclock thanks to BIOS updates

Posted on Friday, December 11 2015 @ 17:00 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Intel logo
Reglar Skylake processors may soon feature an overclockable baseclock after a simple BIOS update. AnandTech heard several motherboard makers, including ASUS, ASRock and Supermicro, have figured out ways to unlock the BCLK. This will give overclockers more freedom to tweak the performance of non-K series Skylake CPUs.
I am not being told (yet) as to what is required on the manufacturer side to do this, and I have a small amount of conflicting information also depending on whether this adjustment requires a physical change on top of the firmware adjustment. I suspect something in the chain that shares the clock domain with the CPU is being given an extenal reference clock, which is not part of Intel specifications but some motherboard manufacturers are doing automatically which requires some firmware adjustment. When all the motherboard manufacturers are doing this, then the exact reasons why should make its way out into the open, along with lists of compatible motherboards. Though it is worth noting that any BCLK overclock on this scale will result in the integrated graphics being disabled automatically by Intel's VGA driver if it is installed - before installation, the integrated graphics can still function I am being told.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



Loading Comments