If basically every consumer CPU (let's say desktop CPU to keep it simple) can be overclocked while remaining stable, why isn't the CPU simply sold at a higher base clock by the manufacturer?

Note that I'm referring to simple, "out of the box" overclocks that may only need a tiny bit of voltage increase, or absolutely none at all. Not talking about the hardcore OC crowd.

For example, if a 6600k is 3.5 GHz at stock but virtually every 6600k ever produced could overclock to 3.6 without any trouble, why not just make it a 3.6 GHz CPU and sell it at that spec?

What's going on? My initial thought is related to the stock heatsink. A higher base clock would require a more expensive built-in heatsink (if one is included). Not every CPU includes a heat sink, however. My 3930k overclocked from 3.8GHz to 4.0 GHz without even needing to touch the voltages. I just turned up the multiplier, no muss, no fuss. (I pushed it higher but that's besides the point :P)

Alternatively, my other thought is to deal with the absolute lowest-binned CPUs. My counter to this though, is that I have never heard of anyone ever who said their CPU was impossible to overclock at all.

I wouldn't expect chips to be clocked much higher than they are, but it seems like there's a little bit of safe headroom there on most mainstream desktop chips that can be utilized with very few compromises. Why aren't the chips specced to utilize this?

by nerd866 http://ift.tt/2dAcCOD