When you pick up any Mobo or Cpu or GPU, how to figure out

MrCasualGamer

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If the item is meant for over clocking or is locked and is meant for non overclockers ? I have been trying to go through manuals, but I dont seem to be finding exact description regarding..

YES this product CAN be overclocked or

NO this product is NOT intended to be overclocked.

For an average gamer like me with less knowhow of hardware, all the documentation that comes with the item is the only official source of information and with my current level of understanding, I am not finding any YES or NO regarding any product ..

Comes to a pertinent question.. HOW is an average user supposed to decide if any mobo cpu or gpu he is looking at is intended for overclocking

[ please dont say that this info is not intended for average user and I will have to run to forums for every make of every mobo cpu gpu ! thanks !!! ]

 
Solution
What he was trying to say is that of the following CPU chips i5-4690, i5-4690s and if-4690k, only the i5-4690k chip can be overclocked. This works for all intel and AMD CPU's. If the numbers are followed by a 'k', then they can be overclocked. If it is not followed by a 'k', it cannot be overclocked. There usually is not specific paperwork that says this 'chip is made for overclocking', however it may say something along the lines of 'this chip has an unlocked multiplier'.

With motherboards, for intel, any board that starts with 'z' such as z97, z87, z77 can overclock, any other letters (b87, b77, h87, h77) cannot overclock. For AMD there is no easy way to tell, although these days, a lot of them can overclock.

For GPU's there is...

zink1701

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Most GPU's can be overclocked (some more than others), With intel CPU's any chip with a K at the end eg i5 2500k can be overclocked non k series CPU's cannot be overclocked. Nearly all motherboard will have the ability to overclock your CPU however the cheaper the board (usually) the less stable overclock you will get, be aware that some cheap boards are useless for overclocking (weather it be heat power of just a crap board).

So the beat way to decide is pick a budjet when building, decide AMD or Intel, then google any potential parts and research. Its long and boring to do but worth the effort.
 

MrCasualGamer

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Re formatting my Q:

From where did you receive above information? My intention is to find the resource related to any hardware piece regarding this information.

For example, when you picked up AMD cpu which had K in the end, you must have read somewhere that K means can be overclocked .. I am trying to find out what you figured out on your own.. say some next cpu comes in 2 forms .. CPU-X and CPU-Y ..from same company .. where will you go to read which one of this meant for overclocking and which one is not? .. is my question now clearer? I am trying to find official resource which tells people what type of product it is regarding overclocking when a new product comes out.

I think I am not being clear in asking the question because my english is not very good.. if its not clear, please let me know, I will try to reformat it again or get some friend of mine with better english skills and request him to word and grammar it properly.
 

byza

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What he was trying to say is that of the following CPU chips i5-4690, i5-4690s and if-4690k, only the i5-4690k chip can be overclocked. This works for all intel and AMD CPU's. If the numbers are followed by a 'k', then they can be overclocked. If it is not followed by a 'k', it cannot be overclocked. There usually is not specific paperwork that says this 'chip is made for overclocking', however it may say something along the lines of 'this chip has an unlocked multiplier'.

With motherboards, for intel, any board that starts with 'z' such as z97, z87, z77 can overclock, any other letters (b87, b77, h87, h77) cannot overclock. For AMD there is no easy way to tell, although these days, a lot of them can overclock.

For GPU's there is again no easy way to tell, although most dedicated GPUs can overclock. If it is a mainstream GPU, it is fairly safe to assume it will overclock.

Most parts will not say that they can be overclocked, as overclocking usually voids warranty. A key work to look for is usually 'unlocked' which pretty much means it can overclock.
 
Solution

MrCasualGamer

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"Most parts will not say that they can be overclocked, as overclocking usually voids warranty. A key work to look for is usually 'unlocked' which pretty much means it can overclock." .. thats the one i was looking for .. thanks =)