MSI might launch first Intel B660 DDR4 motherboard that supports BCLK overclocking

Why it matters: If the Mag B660M Mortar Max WiFi DDR4 launches at a decent value, it could develop into the new benefit winner as it will make it possible for non-K Intel CPUs to be overclocked without the need of obtaining to use high-priced DDR5 memory.

According to a new leak, MSI might soon release the Magazine B660M Mortar Max WiFi DDR4 motherboard with an external clock generator designed by Renesas.

A number of months in the past, der8auer identified that motherboards with an exterior clock generator unlock BCLK overclocking of Intel’s non-K (locked multiplier) Alder Lake CPUs. With the suitable configurations, even a Celeron G6900 could be overclocked from 3.4 GHz to above 5.3 GHz.

#MSI Mag B660M MORTAR MAX WIFI DDR4#B660M
PCIe Gen5 clock generator from Renesas
BCLK OC = MSI OC Engine
DDR4😉 pic.twitter.com/7l24NFN4yT

— chi11eddog (@g01d3nm4ng0) Might 27, 2022

The problem is that, up until finally now, all motherboards geared up with these types of a chip supported only DDR5 memory, which is however far far too pricey to pair with a spending budget CPU.

The Magazine B660M Mortar Max WiFi DDR4 improvements that, as can be inferred from its fairly-prolonged name. Another advantage of the exterior clock generator is that it provides PCIe 5. help for the 1st growth slot, something all of the other B660M Mortar types deficiency (confusingly, there are by now four variants out with DDR4/DDR5 and every with/without having WiFi).

Pricing for the board is now unfamiliar, but the non-Max edition can at the moment be experienced for $160. The only other B660 motherboards that are recognised to assist BCLK overclocking are the ASUS ROG Strix B660-G Gaming WiFi and the B660-F Gaming WiFi, equally of which price about $200 and involve drastically far more costly DDR5 memory.

In our B660 motherboard roundup, we discovered that the vanilla B660M Mortar WiFi has a very superior VRM for its price class. That implies the new Max version could come to be a good finances option as you could overclock your non-K CPU now and have the alternative to update to anything a lot more potent future era.