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@ 2011/09/29Sandy Bridge-E release is getting closer and closer all the time, but there has been one concern: overclocking. Right now, it looks like the initial i7-lineup will consist of three CPUs: i7-3820, i7-3930K, i7-3960X. We covered most of the SB-E specs in our Additional info on Sandy Bridge-E Processors, X79 and LGA2011 article. The two latter ones, i7-3930K and i7-3960X, will have an unlocked CPU multiplier, which allows easy CPU overclocking by just changing the multiplier. However, the cheapest model, i7-3820, does not have an unlocked CPU multiplier.
With LGA 1155 based CPUs, this means you are limited to adjusting the BCLK (base clock). The BCLK is 100MHz by default but unlike in previous microarchitectures, it can only changed by a few MHz until you run into problems. This means you must buy a CPU with unlocked multiplier (i.e. a K CPU) in order to overclock effectively. There was concern that SNB-E would follow a similar path.
With LGA 1155 based CPUs, this means you are limited to adjusting the BCLK (base clock). The BCLK is 100MHz by default but unlike in previous microarchitectures, it can only changed by a few MHz until you run into problems. This means you must buy a CPU with unlocked multiplier (i.e. a K CPU) in order to overclock effectively. There was concern that SNB-E would follow a similar path.
