The "K" in Intel CPU's

[acctingman]

Seriously "noob" question, but what does the "K" in a processor signify?

What's the difference between a 4690 and a 4690K?

Many thanks!

 

[Burpo]

The addition of a "K" indicates that the processor's clock multiplier is "unlocKed", making it suitable for overclocking.

 

[jpiniero]

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/processor-numbers.html

 

[SPBHM]

4690 vs 4690K is also "Haswell Refresh" vs "Devil's Canyon" (4690K should run cooler)
4790 vs 4790K the same + 400Mhz more for the K

and the unlocked multi.

 

[acctingman]

So, if I'm a gamer but have no intentions of overclocking a non "K" processor is fine?

 

[schmuckley]

So, if I'm a gamer but have no intentions of overclocking a non "K" processor is fine?

I guess..or you could get a Pentium g3258..and overclock


Seriously,I remember a time when all cpus were unlocked.

 

[Yuriman]

The only K CPU you might consider is the i7 4790K, as it has higher clocks than its non-K counterpart. Otherwise, go with a non-K CPU.

 

[sm625]

Dont forget that even a non-k i5/i7 can be turbo-bin overclocked pretty significantly. You can get almost all the way to the max achievable overclock just playing with the turbo bins.

 

[Geforce man]

Dont forget that even a non-k i5/i7 can be turbo-bin overclocked pretty significantly. You can get almost all the way to the max achievable overclock just playing with the turbo bins.

No, they can't. This went away with haswell.

 

[PPB]

Probably they knew that if they kept the turbo bin thingy just like it was on SB, yo could achieve the same clocks than most mild K sku average overvlocks.

 

[supaxi]

"K" is potassium in the Periodic Table. Intel has fortified these processors with extra potassium and due to this they are able to overlock.

/no, not really, but it sounds fun...

 

[podspi]

I always thought it was a clever nod to AMD's "Black Edition" processors, which were also unlocked.