Overclock enthusiasts have figured out a way to increase the base clock (BCLK) on non-K Intel Skylake processors.
A frequency of a CPU is determined depending on the BCLK and a multiplier, and overclocking is about increasing either one of the two factors, where the BCLK usually has an initial value of 100 MHz. Most of the time, a CPU with the modifier "K" is the type that can be overclocked, whereas a unit with the label "non-K" comes with built-in hardware limitations.
Figuring out a workaround for the latter signifies a game-changing improvement, as owners will be able to get the most out of their non-K units.
Dhenzjen was the first to accomplish this feat, increasing the BCLK of a Core i3 6320 to 127 MHz from 100 MHz using a modified motherboard and some hacking. Elmor followed up the achievement with a Core i3-6300 clocked at 152.6 MHz.
ASRock says that it will roll out a BIOS update for Z170 motherboards "very soon," allowing users to overclock Pentium G4400, G4500, G4520, Core i3-6100, i3-6300, i3-6320, Core i5-6400, i5-6500, i5-6600 and Core i7-6700.
On top of that, the company also reportedly said that a BIOS update will be released for a lot of its motherboards "after internal validation has been carried out." Also, the manufacturer's Z170 OC Formula can allegedly increase the BCLK of a Pentium G4400 and a Core i3-6300T by 20 percent and an i5-6600 by more than 30 percent.
Unlike the cooling system that Dhenzjen used, ASRock says that it produced results using air cooling.
But why do people overclock? Well, for instance, gamers will be able to reap the benefits of overclocking easily. Most games nowadays are pretty demanding on the video card or CPU, and some computers just won't be able to supply the necessary output to run them smoothly. The usual case is that a rig will have one of the two components that's lacking in power, where overclocking may get it up to speed.
Why "may," though? That's because overclocking doesn't always do the trick. Based on the findings of overclockers, an overclocked video card will only be able to improve fps by 15 percent. In other words, a computer that can only run a game at 20 fps will only reach up to 22 to 23 fps. What this means is that overclocking mostly benefits computers that can run games close to 60 fps, but are just having a little trouble getting there.
Overclocking is excellent in improving overall performance, but it does come with risks, including ruining hardware, voiding warranty and possibly decreasing the life of the overclocked component. So exercise some caution if you're planning on jumping on the overclocking bandwagon, which has been a popular method ever since then.
