[Techspot] BCLK overclocking non-K Intel Skylake CPUs is now possible, tested here

[Hi-Fi Man]

Looks like Techspot received a mobo from ASRock and tested an i3-6100 OCed to 4.7GHz(!). So far it seems ASRock is limiting base clock OC to Z170 boards only at this time which is a bit unfortunate.

Well dream no more! In overclocking circles it was persisted that BCLK (base clock) overclocking might become a possibility in Skylake processors, but it would be up to motherboard manufacturers to circumvent Intel's restrictions. Last night Asrock contacted us to say it has an updated BIOS that enables this condition and we've jumped at the opportunity to test and confirm this.

Asrock has worked some of its magic and has enabled base clock overclocking on all non-K Skylake-S processors. That is, any Asrock Z170 motherboard will be able to overclock the Pentium G4400, G4500, G4520, Core i3-6100, i3-6300, i3-6320, Core i5-6400, i5-6500, i5-6600 and Core i7-6700 above their default operating frequency.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1108-intel-locked-skylake-cpu-bclk-overclocking/

 

[Ken g6]

I sure hope Intel doesn't do something to block this.

 

[Techhog]

This might end the Skylake-K shortage...

 

[lyssword]

nice. The difference between non-k's can be as high as $80 at the current market prices

 

[.vodka]

Now let's hope Intel doesn't stop this like they did on G3258 OC on non-z chipsets...

 

[Techhog]

Now let's hope Intel doesn't stop this like they did on G3258 OC on non-z chipsets...

I don't remember exactly what it is that that they blocked, but that wasn't it.

 

[SPBHM]

4.7GHz skylake will be great for most games and emulation, even with just 2c/4t

hopefully it's also possible on cheaper boards,

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

I don't remember exactly what it is that that they blocked, but that wasn't it.

They did block OC on non-Z with new firmware, it's the main reason why I won't update my motherboard past what it's at now. With G3258 Intel and MS also unleashed a microcode update with Windows 10 that prevented booting (or something like that) unless you went back to stock clocks or ran with one core enabled. For whatever reason Intel hasn't done the same thing with their K chips which allows me to still use Windows 10 with my i5 OC.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I dont know, it is nice, but even overclocked to hell and back, i3 skylake just matches a locked Haswell i5 in multithreaded. Considering it requires a Z170 motherboard, fast ram, and maybe better cooling, not sure you save that much anyway. It would be great, though, if your major use was a single threaded app or older game that only uses one or two cores. Overall though, I think I would still go with the i5.

Now if you can overclock the locked i5 chips, *that* would be a big plus. But I have an idea that intel is going to "fix" this pretty soon anyway.

 

[richierich1212]

Yeah, Intel will just release a microcode to disable this for non-K chips eventually.

 

[AtenRa]

I dont see Intel being happy with that, entry Core i5s sales are going to plummet.

If a Skylake Core i3 at 4.5GHz will have the same or less stuttering than entry Skylake Core i5s such as 6400, then everyone will recommend the Core i3 over any Core i5 except Ks.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Well, that is the big question. Overclocking doesn't seem to alleviate the stuttering of the Pentium, but that does not have hyperthreading. It would sure put the hurt (even worse) on Kaveri cpu wise though. But again, despite a lot of interest in computers and these forums, I dont consider myself a tinkerer, so I would just go with the i5 and not worry about how fast it will overclock and whether intel will nerf it somewhere down the line.

 

[SPBHM]

if I can get a 6100 + cheap H110 board for overclock I'll feel very tempted to upgrade from my locked sandy bridge i5, epic ST performance gains and some MT gains, it will be like running e5200+G31 again :thumbsup:

if it requires more expensive motherboards not really,

 

[LTC8K6]

If Intel is not concerned about this sort of thing, then there would be no reason for them not to release an unlocked i3.

Since they won't release an unlocked i3, I think it's safe to assume that Intel is not going to be happy about these bclk developments.

 

[VirtualLarry]

if I can get a 6100 + cheap H110 board for overclock
...
it will be like running e5200+G31 again :thumbsup:

Good Times!

 

[Madpacket]

Intel will kill this with another CPU Microcode update and then play dumb about it like they did with the Pentiun AE chips.

 

[Madpacket]

Also, this would need to work on cheaper motherboard's to be worth it as Frozen mentioned unless you simply want a super fast emulator box. But if you want that just grab a cheap Z87/97 and Pentium AE for half the price.

 

[Fjodor2001]

Intel will kill this with another CPU Microcode update and then play dumb about it like they did with the Pentiun AE chips.

Can't you block that update being pushed to the CPU? It's done through SW so...

 

[MrTeal]

Also, this would need to work on cheaper motherboard's to be worth it as Frozen mentioned unless you simply want a super fast emulator box. But if you want that just grab a cheap Z87/97 and Pentium AE for half the price.

If it works on H110 that would be great, though Z170 boards pop on sale quite often. You can buy an Asrock Pro4S on Newegg right now for $80 shipped.

 

[MiddleOfTheRoad]

Intel will kill this with another CPU Microcode update and then play dumb about it like they did with the Pentiun AE chips.

Agreed. It's inevitable. Intel will press the motherboard manufacturers to close the loophole. Selling less K editions would not be good for their margins.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Agreed. It's inevitable. Intel will press the motherboard manufacturers to close the loophole. Selling less K editions would not be good for their margins.

I don't think people who are interested in buying i3 6100 chips are the same folks who would have otherwise shelled out for the 6700k.

 

[.vodka]

I don't know, why did Intel change bclk behavior with Skylake? I mean, they've had bclk tied to PCIe and other important stuff 1:1 for 4 generations, why change it now and theoretically allow this kind of overclocking?

They were asking for this to happen, IMO.

 

[Fjodor2001]

I don't think people who are interested in buying i3 6100 chips are the same folks who would have otherwise shelled out for the 6700k.

If you get get around the same performance via OC from a Core i5-6400 as a 6600K, why pay more for the 6600K? You mean the OC people are not interested in saving money?

 

[DrMrLordX]

Intel won't be as scared of i3 overclocking as they will that 3.4 GHz LGA1151 Xeon for ~$260.

edit: what boards support that chip? It's the Xeon E3-1230 V5:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662e31230v5

pcpartspicker is listing zero LGA1151-compatible boards . . . oh wait, you need something like the c230 chipset to use it. Blah. That's a non-starter.

btw, ASRock has a Z170 board for ~$80 on NewEgg:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z170pro4s

If they enabled bclk overclock on that thing, whew!

 

[MajinCry]

If ya can overclock the i3, how about the non-k i5s? That's where the real meat is; the i5 6600k goes for around £220, and the 6400 goes for £150.


...Bloody hell, intel has been price gouging pretty badly, now that I take a gander. The slowest Skylake i5 costs as much as the i5 2500k did.