AMD eXtended Frequency Range may be limited to X-series Ryzen CPUs

So far we weren't quite sure what the difference was between the regular and X-series models in AMD's upcoming Ryzen processor series but now TechPowerUp posted a theory that makes a lot of sense.

The idea here is that the "X" marks the presence of AMD's eXtended Frequency Range (XFR) technology, this is part of the SenseMI Technology suite and permits the chip to hit frequencies above and beyond the ordinary Precision Boost limits. The CPU automatically goes above the regular Boost clockspeeds and this scales based on how good your processor cooler is.

AMD's X-series Ryzen processors are sold without a cooling solution, while the regular models come with the "Wraith" HSF. This further lends credence to the theory as buyers of the X-models are likely to use premium coolers. I guess we'll find out more later this week, but like I said, this makes a lot of sense.

This strategy also makes sense in that power users who spend money on high-performance cooling solutions are probably more inclined to spend more on a CPU that promises (even if only theoretically) higher overclocking potential (we can expect these X chips to be cherry-picked samples with higher overclockability than other, non-X models). This also makes sense when one considers that the X versions of Ryzen chips are expected to ship with no cooling solution, whereas non-X models will ship with the company's "Wraith" cooling solution, more than enough for the non-power user who doesn't care about something like XFR. While it is a fact that most enthusiast users will simply buy the non-X chips and overclock them until the sky is no longer an achievement, it is also true that even some of us might feel more inclined towards simply "install and forget" high-performance, automatically-overclocked chips (also something the good Dr. Lisa Su mentioned during the "New Horizon" event, saying that XFR was "just for you enthusiast gamers").