Overclocking
Due largely to the fully integrated voltage regulator inherent to Intel’s Haswell architecture, four out of five motherboards tested today achieved the same overclocking results. We find no winner here…
Once used as a way to overclock multiplier-locked processors, base clock adjustments lost their significance when Intel adopted an integrated clock generator. The company could have given enthusiasts some flexibility back through the same multiplier straps you see on Sandy Bridge-E platforms, but only its Haswell-based K-series parts get this functionality. If you buy a locked four-gen Core processor, expect that word to mean locked out of clock multiplier and strap selection.
DRAM data rates over 2133 MT/s have an insignificant impact on most of our performance benchmarks. More bandwidth is mostly useful for gaming through the on-die HD Graphics 4600 engine. Asus and Biostar take top honors here.