Oh, and this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: you need a motherboard with a socket that’s compatible with your CPU choice. Enthusiast and gaming motherboards from ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, and MSI are good choices in this regard. You can also often find Newegg reviews that discuss a motherboard’s overclocking settings, and the quality thereof.
Intel processor diagnostic tool overclock software#
They’re a little pricier than more pedestrian models, but they have access to UEFI/BIOS updates and manufacturer software specifically designed to make overclocking easy. If you’re in a position to choose, look for an enthusiast or “gaming” motherboard. Technically, any motherboard should be able to overclock its processor, but some are designed specifically for the process and some aren’t. Next, you’ll want to make sure your motherboard is up to snuff. Motherboard Enthusiast and “gamer” motherboards tend to include UEFI software designed for easy overclocking. This is why it’s incredibly important to go through the long, arduous process yourself instead of just plugging in someone else’s settings-no two processors will overclock the exact same. Don’t be upset if your specific CPU and setup as a whole can’t hit the same overclocking performance as someone reporting their results online. Even if two CPUs have the same model number and should theoretically be identical, it’s entirely possible that they’ll overclock differently. I should also mention a concept known among enthusiasts as the “silicon lottery.” The microarchitecture of modern CPUs is incredibly complex, as is the fabrication process.
Intel processor diagnostic tool overclock Pc#
This policy is controversial among PC hardware enthusiasts. Also, Intel really doesn’t want you to do it-to the point that they’ve actually issued software updates that closed previously-found loopholes enabling it. It’s just harder, and it’ll probably need some support from your motherboard manufacturer. Is it possible to overclock a non-K Intel processor? Sometimes. We’ll be using a Core i7-7700K-the “K” means it’s ready to be overclocked out of the box. We’ll be using a Core i7-7700K for this guide. So if you’re shopping for an Intel processor and you know you’re going to try to overclock it, you want either a “K” or an “X” chip-the latest ones are all handily listed on this page.
There are options in i7, i5, and i3 models, and all of the newer and ridiculously powerful X-series are also unlocked. The “K” in this sense is more of a variable than an actual product line, signifying that the processor is “unlocked” and ready to be overclocked by the end user. Intel sells a staggering variety of processors, but for overclocking, the K- and X-series is where it’s at.