Intel allows memory overclocking on B660 and H670, but only sort of.

[Jurrunio]

TLDR: If you want to run 3200MHz+ DDR4 on Alder Lake, there's a chance you can't run it if you don't buy the unlocked (K sku) variant regardless of motherboard support for memory overclocking. If it's 4000MHz+, you can give up. If you already placed your orders or having issues of this already, try make the CPU run cooler.

 

Source 1: https://www.chiphell.com/thread-2385317-1-1.html

 

Source 2: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV18L4y1t7DW?share_source=copy_web

 

As everyone knows, Intel opened up memory overclocking to some non-Z/X chipsets since their 500 series chipset with the B560 and H570. It's not on par with AMD yet since you still can't overclock CPUs (let alone buying K skus also being a requirement), but it still brings cheaper motherboards to those who just want to use faster memory.

 

But it seems like Intel is quite bitter about this and made their move on Alder Lake (12th gen).

 

Quote and translated source 1 (simplified to keep things brief)

Quote

> The system used is the i7-12700 and MSI B660M Mortar with Windows 11 powered by a Seasonic Prime 750, no graphics card.

 

> The system crashed (screen went blank) during CPU-Z benchmark (T/N: a relatively light benchmark) after freshly installing the OS

 

> The user thought it's because he only used 1 CPU 8pin instead of 2, so he connected the remaining connector but it crashed even more including blue screens.

 

> Determined it's a memory error from fault codes returned by the OS

 

> The memory involved in a set of dual rank per stick Crucial Ballistix 3600MHz CL16 2x16GB kit at default settings. The same memory kit achieved 4000MHz CL16 with an AMD R7 5700G so he doesn't think the memory kit is this bad.

 

> The user can't think of a different solution, so he swapped to a single rank per stick Crucial 3600MHz CL16 2x16GB kit. Also using default XMP settings, AIDA64 memory test failed after 30 mins

 

> Looking at the applied settings, he determined that the default CPU SA (system agent) voltage is too low at just 0.92V. Alder Lake OC guides (T/N: which one is not mentioned) typically recommend 1.2V if not more but he found out the MSI board doesn't let him raise it at all.

 

> The user bought an Asus TUF B660M-Plus Wifi D4 motherboard and tried again, yet SA voltage still wouldn't buldge

 

Now it doesn't seem to be an universal issue for CPUs to crash at just 3600MHz memory with stock SA voltage. However because Alder Lake CPUs support up to 3200MHz DDR4 by Intel spec (i.e. 3200MHz DDR4 is definitely fine for the CPU), it does mean there's very little memory overclocking headroom left if you lose the silicon lottery. Even if you win, non K CPUs will still be far behind the K models because K skus on B660 and H670 motherboards have unlocked SA voltage but non K does not. At this point I should add that such limitation didn't exist on B560 and H570, you could pair any CPU with them and SA voltage is free for you to adjust unless the board maker locked you out (which could happen on prebuilts with custom motherboard, but not motherboards sold independently at retail)

 

Not going to translate source 2 because I'm tired, but all that I want to quote from it is that lowering the CPU temperatures do seem to make the CPU more capable in running faster memory. In the video the author had a crashing system with the stock cooler. By maxing out the fans, it managed to stay stable. 

 

Now you might be wondering, can this change in the future? Well unfortunately, only Intel can do something about it because board makers cannot. The SA voltage is regulated by a internal regulator inside the CPU that also controls everything else except the CPU core voltage. Board makers only have control over voltage generated on the motherboard, not voltage regulated inside the CPU. At the same time because overclocking pretty much mandates a K sku when non K does this badly, Intel now grabs more cash to themselves than ever before. In the past before B and some H chipsets can overclock memory, it's not uncommon (especially when that memory standard gets older) to pair a Z chipset motherboard with a non K CPU for only memory overclocking capability. Of course users spend more for this, but just the motherboard which means Intel hardly earned any more money from it. Now, Intel gets the cash while board makers... don't. What we have now then is "only Intel can change this" and "only Intel benefits from this", so not only there's no alternative way out, the gate keeper is the one who would reject this idea the most. Therefore, this is near impossible to change. Of course I welcome Intel to change their mind.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

Wouldnt a voltmod fix this? Not software mod but hardmod the board with a potentiometer to raise and decrease sa volt

 

or is sa volt derived from a voltage reference and only the cpu can internally change it?

[Jurrunio]

2 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Wouldnt a voltmod fix this? Not software mod but hardmod the board with a potentiometer to raise and decrease sa volt

 

or is sa volt derived from a voltage reference and only the cpu can internally change it?

It's the FIVR approach like on Skylake-X. Whatever you do on the outside will change things you want to keep unchanged.

 

Plus compared to a volt mod, it will be more practical to buy a K sku

[Somerandomtechyboi]

2 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

It's the FIVR approach like on Skylake-X. Whatever you do on the outside will change things you want to keep unchanged.

Well judging by the name i guess the cpu controls the voltage, and judging by the "change things you want to keep unchanged" means that if you f around with voltage reference for FIVR then all the other voltages go up also demolishing stability

 

Though could throttlestop raise sa volt?

[Jurrunio]

2 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Though could throttlestop raise sa volt?

I doubt it can. The only exception to "the BIOS can't but TS can" is when the BIOS itself is too locked down to offer such option, say my laptop on Vcore. When it's a hardware or at best Intel ME lock, TS couldn't do anything about it.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

9 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

I doubt it can. The only exception to "the BIOS can't but TS can" is when the BIOS itself is too locked down to offer such option, say my laptop on Vcore. When it's a hardware or at best Intel ME lock, TS couldn't do anything about it.

Guess the only way to do this kind of voltmodding bullcrap is to start screwing around in the microcode if its just an arbitrary lock and not a hardware lock