In what seems to be a strange turn of events, it looks like we could see Intel start to offer users the ability to overclock the upcoming Comet Lake processors on the mid-range B460 motherboards. While this is usually a feature reserved for only top of the line motherboard series such as the Z-series, it’ll be interesting to see if this turns out to be true.
Where Did This Information Come From?
We have to remember at the moment that this is purely speculation. Images from the B460 iCraft Gaming Endless motherboard model highlighted by Videocardz appeared to show a trio of buttons marked L, C, and a lightning bolt symbol.
The theory goes that these three buttons could offer some type of rudimentary overclocking function to these budget boards. However, we don’t expect this to be anywhere near on par with the more expensive Z-series motherboards if this turns out to be true.
At the moment there isn’t any clear news on what these buttons may actually do. Could they be some type of voltage control? It’s anybody’s guess at the moment. This motherboard does look quite impressive at first glance though. With build quality being an important factor in stable overclocking, these buttons could help manage that in some way.
What Does This Mean for Consumers?
If this information turns out to be correct, it could add a lot of value to Intel processors that may start to struggle to compete with the impressive Ryzen 3000 series. Enabling some form of overclocking on mid-range motherboards could be a smart way for Intel to help close the gap a little on the competition, while not compromising their more expensive product line.
We know that the Z-series of motherboards are set to have some pretty high prices. This overclocking ability could also be a way of keeping customers from changing over to AMD. After all, it’s becoming clear that AMD is managing to offer greater levels of performance in a more competitive price range.
What do you think of these rumors? Do you believe that these buttons will allow for overclocking or could they be used for something else? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below.