According to a leak, the next-generation Mortar motherboard from MSI will support BCLK overclocking.
On Twitter, hardware leaker @g01d3nm4ng0 shared images of the upcoming MSI B760M Mortar Max motherboard, which includes a Renesas RC26008 external clock generator for overclocking unlocked and locked Intel processors.
i5-12400 OC 5.0GHz (125MHz x40) on MAG B760M Mortar Max WiFi featuring Renesas RC26008 clock generator. pic.twitter.com/6f5Hgb28jh
— chi11eddog (@g01d3nm4ng0) December 28, 2022
To demonstrate, the motherboard is seen running a Core i5-12400, a locked chip with a base clock frequency of 125 MHz that normally tops out at 4.4 GHz, at 5 GHz. If the images are genuine, this is our first confirmation that MSI will add BCLK overclocking capabilities to the Mortar Max B760.
MSI is one of the few motherboard manufacturers that still includes external clock generators in Intel motherboards, particularly in lower-end boards such as the B series. If you cannot afford a K series part, they can be an excellent choice for building a budget system. This way, you can use a less expensive motherboard and CPU while still maintaining the same overclocking capabilities.
BCLK overclocking is a method of overclocking that involves changing the entire system’s base frequency to generate higher core clocks rather than simply increasing the CPU core multiplier. The advantage of BCLK overclocking today is that it allows you to circumvent Intel’s artificial overclocking locks and overclock any Intel CPU. But, once again, you’ll need that external clock generator because Intel’s built-in clock generator on non-K CPUs is also locked.
The Tweet says nothing else about the B760M tomahawk besides mentioning the RC26008 clock generator. However, based on our previous coverage of B760 motherboards in general, we believe the B760 version of the Mortar Max will be very similar to its B660 predecessor, but will likely cost slightly more.
It’s encouraging to see MSI continue to incorporate base clock generators into its lower-end motherboards, such as the B760M Mortar Max, and provide users with an alternative way to overclock Intel’s CPUs. If confirmed, this is MSI’s second motherboard to use the same external clock generator, the previous model being the B660M Mortar Max WiFi.
