ASRock releases BCLK OC BIOSes for non K CPUs
Intel Skylake K series CPUs are on every hardcore overclocker’s wish list, due to the fact that they are the only ones with an unlocked multiplier that allows users to overclock the CPU frequency effortlessly. However, there seems to be a shortage of these ultra high performing processors lately.
ASRock has prepared a nice Christmas present for the overclocking community named SKY OC, an alternative for users to overclock any Intel Skylake i7/i5/i3 or even Pentium non K CPUs on their ASRock Z170 motherboard.
Engineers at ASRock picked up from where they left off last time, and decided that besides DDR4 memory modules, there might be a way to overclock Intel non-K CPUs without tinkering the multiplier. So here you have the game changing SKY OC which is obtainable simply by a BIOS upgrade from ASRock’s official website. It’s not the same as overclocking an Intel K series CPU, because it’s mainly changing the BCLK, but it will be an interesting alternative while people are still waiting for their K series CPUs to come down the chimney. Lab tests show that the once not overclockable Intel Core i5-6400 CPU can now be overclocked to a 60% frequency boost with SKY OC on ASRock’s Z170 Pro4!
One might wonder, “this is too good to be true, what’s the catch?” Well, if you had to ask, there are two almost unnoticeable limitations. The first one is the onboard Intel graphics will be disabled while SKY OC is applied, meaning that users are required to install a graphics card. The second limitation is that CPU Turbo Ratio and C-State will also be disabled.
While ASRock SKY OC breathes life into Intel non K series CPUs, currently it is still exclusive to motherboards with Intel’s Z170 chipset. But have faith in ASRock’s skillful engineers, sooner or later more Christmas gifts from ASRock are going to be delivered.
List of BIOS versions that support SKY OC:
Model |
BIOS |
Model |
BIOS |
Z170 OC Formula |
L1.92 |
Z170M Pro4 |
L2.23 |
Z170 Extreme7+ |
L2.16 |
Z170M Pro4S |
L2.23 |
Z170 Extreme6+ |
L1.82 |
Z170M-ITX/ac |
L1.83 |
Z170 Extreme6 |
L1.82 |
Z170A-X1/3.1 |
L1.31 |
Z170 Extreme4+ |
L2.01 |
Z170 Professional Gaming i7 |
L1.14 |
Z170 Extreme4 |
L2.43 |
Z170 Gaming K6+ |
L1.92 |
Z170 Extreme3 |
L1.61 |
Z170 Gaming K6 |
L1.92 |
Z170M Extreme4 |
L1.34 |
Z170 Gaming K4 |
L2.23 |
Z170 Pro4 |
L2.83 |
Z170 Gaming K4/D3 |
L1.51 |
Z170 Pro4/D3 |
L1.74 |
Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac |
L1.53 |
Z170 Pro4S |
L2.73 |
|
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Senior Member
Posts: 1191
Joined: 2013-02-22
By the looks of it all the models listed are z170 chipsets anyways making this bios reduntant since anyone buying these boards should already have an unlocked cpu.
Senior Member
Posts: 3671
Joined: 2011-11-24
Download this ASAP because if Intel gets pissed, they might pull it

Senior Member
Posts: 1183
Joined: 2013-09-21
For ASUS users moddified bios can be found here...not sure how they were obtained just yet, but Raja the ASUS official rep said yesterday they were coming. These are not official bios but added the non k overclocking.
http://forum.hwbot.org/showpost.php?p=422148&postcount=21
Member
Posts: 52
Joined: 2013-06-12
Nice but just get yourself a K model

Senior Member
Posts: 11809
Joined: 2012-07-20
We should say: "Job well Done".
While it is good marketing for ASRock, it is good for users too.