Thursday, July 25th 2013
Intel Cracks Down on Motherboard Vendors Offering Overclocking on non-Z Chipset
Over the past couple of months, motherboard vendors from across the industry offered BIOS updates for their motherboards based on Intel B85 Express and H87 Express chipsets, which enable CPU overclocking for Intel's unlocked Core processors denoted by "K" brand extension (Core i7-4770K, i5-4670K). This reportedly hasn't gone down well with Intel. Intel's Bxx and Hxx chipsets are significantly cheaper than its Zxx series chipset. Sensing a clear threat to its revenue, from the prospect of motherboard vendors coming up with high-end or overclocking-ready (strong CPU VRM) motherboards based on cheaper chipsets in the near future, Intel cracked down on them.
Intel is giving final touches to a CPU microcode update that restricts Core "K" Haswell processors from overclocking on chipsets other than Z87 Express. A microcode update can be deployed both through BIOS updates, and surreptitiously through Windows Update. Intel's used the tried and tested "stability" bogey to justify the update. While it's true that motherboards based on B85 and H87 tend to feature weaker CPU VRM, there's nothing to say that ASUS wouldn't have gone on to design its next ROG Maximus on H87 Express, and save on manufacturing costs. While it's purely hypothetical, something like that wouldn't be in Intel's commercial interests. What next? Intel will push this new microcode update on to motherboard vendors, instructing them to issue BIOS updates with it; and future batches of Intel "K" CPUs may not support overclocking. If that isn't enough to contain the problem, Intel may give Microsoft a ring, and ask it to push the update through Windows Update. It tried that once in the past.
Source:
Heise.de
Intel is giving final touches to a CPU microcode update that restricts Core "K" Haswell processors from overclocking on chipsets other than Z87 Express. A microcode update can be deployed both through BIOS updates, and surreptitiously through Windows Update. Intel's used the tried and tested "stability" bogey to justify the update. While it's true that motherboards based on B85 and H87 tend to feature weaker CPU VRM, there's nothing to say that ASUS wouldn't have gone on to design its next ROG Maximus on H87 Express, and save on manufacturing costs. While it's purely hypothetical, something like that wouldn't be in Intel's commercial interests. What next? Intel will push this new microcode update on to motherboard vendors, instructing them to issue BIOS updates with it; and future batches of Intel "K" CPUs may not support overclocking. If that isn't enough to contain the problem, Intel may give Microsoft a ring, and ask it to push the update through Windows Update. It tried that once in the past.
85 Comments on Intel Cracks Down on Motherboard Vendors Offering Overclocking on non-Z Chipset
my username just represents my impression on the degree of progress intel have made from the previous architecture.
ill tell you wheres no harm done, when you run 4ghz on a cheap board to average the cost, thats where.. is all..
I don't see anything wrong with Intel blocking new boards from overclocking on non-Z chipsets. Most people expected it and it seems pretty reasonable. Infact, they should probably fix this on a silicon level.
BUT I find that putting out a hidden "update" to disable it after someone purchases the board is a immoral and sleazy tactic.
Those that have already purchased the board should be written off.
Although not to the same extreme, it is like buying a product and then having company henchman sneak into your house and disable it because it is "too functional"
Absolutely absurd :banghead:
It true mind boggling that some people feel this is the "right thing to do" :banghead: :roll:
New BIOS features are always a necessity though. It would be nice if the BIOS could be completely locked. This would be nice for security minded people too to make sure that malicious code does not get injected into the BIOS