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A few weeks back, Intel appear information technology had pushed an update out to motherboard manufacturers to remove BIOS overclocking for Skylake processors that were supposed to be locked in the first identify. Ever since 2011, Intel has restricted overclocking to upper-terminate Core i5 and Core i7 products with a "K" designation in the name, and the company never meant to offer Skylake fries that could be overclocked in the first place.

Users who bought lower-terminate Skylake chips and motherboards can nevertheless overclock by refusing to update to newer BIOS versions, of class. But it seemed that the window on this particular feature had airtight for good, since new boards would transport with newer BIOS versions, and motherboard manufacturers haven't historically wanted to get head-to-head with Intel in enabling features the company isn't fond of.

ASRock, it seems, has other ideas. The manufacturer has appear a new gear up of motherboards — the Fatal1ty H170 Performance/Hyper and the Fatal1ty B150 Gaming K4/Hyper, both of which use an external clock generator to featherbed the restrictions that Intel has placed on Skylake overclocking.

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The H170 Fatal1ty

Information technology's non clear what the new boards will toll, but ASRock tends to target the lower-cease of the motherboard infinite, with boards in the $100 to $120 range. Presumably these volition be priced similarly.

This is the first time we've seen a motherboard company openly cadet Intel's CPU lockdown in this fashion, which raises the question: Why now? Is ASRock trying to lock down a business segment information technology suddenly found was popular, or is at that place something virtually Skylake that makes it easier for manufacturers to integrate external solutions as a fashion around this problem? Asus, MSI, and the like have been manufacturing overclocking motherboards for a number of years; it's hard to believe they wouldn't take adopted a solution similar this as a way to appeal to enthusiast buyers if information technology was practical to practise so.

Feature-wise, the 2 motherboards are fairly similar. The B150 offers gigabit Ethernet courtesy of Killer Networks, while the H170 has SATA Grand.ii support, SATA Express, and 8 USB 3.0 ports (the B150 has "merely" six). If this blazon of overclocking support proves popular with enthusiasts, you tin bet other manufacturers will adopt it — the cutthroat world of motherboard manufacturing demands nothing less, and companies are quick to follow when 1 of them discovers a feature gamers and builders want to pay for.