Unlocked CPUs are processors (CPU = Central Processing Unit) with an unlocked multiplier. In the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), CPUs have a value for the system clock (also known as "Bus Speed," e.g., 100 MHz) set. To achieve the actual clock frequency (also known as "Core Speed") of the CPU boost clock, such as 4.7 GHz, the system clock is multiplied by 47. Depending on the load, the CPU can adjust the multiplier within predefined parameters. The minimum value represents the base clock, while the boost clock represents the maximum value.
With CPUs featuring an unlocked multiplier (unlocked CPUs), it is possible to override the predefined parameters and define a fixed multiplier. In practice, this is done to gain more computing power in professional applications and games. Assigning a higher value to the multiplier than the predefined ones is known as "overclocking." Choosing a lower multiplier is referred to as "underclocking."
Not all CPUs have an unlocked multiplier. In Intel processors, CPUs with an unlocked multiplier can be identified by the suffix "K" or "X" (e.g., Intel Core i7-8700K, Intel Core i9-7900X). In AMD, all processors in the "Ryzen" series are overclockable, and in older generations, the FX series, for example, can be overclocked.
Besides the CPU, the motherboard chipset must also be unlocked for overclocking. In Intel motherboards, high-end chipsets with the prefix "Z" or "X" (e.g., Z370, X299) are unlocked, while in AMD AM4 motherboards, both the high-end chipset (e.g., X470) and the mainstream chipset (e.g., B450) are unlocked for overclocking.
Roman "der8auer" Hartung (pronounced: "der Bauer") is a mechatronics engineer (B.Eng.), hardware enthusiast, and professional overclocker from Germany. Exclusively at Caseking, Roman offers "delidded" and "binned" processors. These are unlocked CPUs for hardware enthusiasts, used in either workstations or high-end gaming systems.
"Delidding" a CPU involves removing the IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) of the processor. The factory-applied thermal paste (TIM = Thermal Interface Material) is then removed and replaced with liquid metal (e.g., Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut). For "der8auer" CPUs, the heat spreader is either simply glued back on, sanded and then glued back on, or replaced with a silver heat spreader. Delidding significantly reduces the CPU's temperature, allowing for either higher clock rates or reduced cooling requirements for a silent PC.
CPU binning is the process of testing the maximum possible clock rate of a processor. Due to the manufacturing process and the quality of the silicon used, each CPU is subject to performance variations and slightly different performance characteristics. These are accounted for in the specifications, ensuring that all CPUs of a model reach the specified clock rates. This means that some processors have more overclocking potential than others. To bypass this so-called "silicon lottery," Caseking offers "der8auer" CPUs with guaranteed overclocking rates.
