Intel Seemingly Locking Arrow Lake Overclocking To Top Tier Z890 Boards

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Malik Usman

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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Only the most expensive motherboards may be able to overclock Intel’s next Arrow Lake processors. According to a new source, overclocking might become limited to the more costly Z890 motherboards.

Why it matters: AMD offers overclocking across a wide range of motherboards. This discrepancy between the two giants has existed for a while, but fans hoped to see Intel offering similar options eventually.

The 800 series chipset details Jaykihn allegedly shares are said to be preliminary and might change before the product launch. However, only the Z890 chipset currently has BCLK or voltage and base clock modifications.

This also means that overclocking features won’t be available for Intel’s other chipsets, which include the H810, B860, Q870, and W880. Furthermore, the leak suggests that Intel might skip the H870 chipset this year.

Overclocking restricted to the premium platform isn’t unexpected because the Z series of motherboards is often the highest-end choice, with the B models being the more affordable variants. At the very least, overclocking of the RAM will be possible on B860 motherboards.

The total number of PCIe lanes will also change depending on the motherboard chipset. The B860 features 45 PCIe lanes compared to 56 on the Q870 and 33 on the H810. Furthermore, 60 high-speed PCIe lanes will be supported as standard on the server-oriented W880 and Z890 chipsets.

The 800 series is not exclusive to the Arrow Lake CPU family. Rumors have already surfaced regarding the arrival of Arrow Lake refresh processors next year; it seems likely that, similar to Raptor Lake, we will have another incremental update.

Intel has been practising this approach for quite some time now by limiting its chipset to every two generations of processors. However, seeing a shift in Intel’s core strategy similar to the competition’s would have been nice.

Malik Usman

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Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

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