Overclocking the Intel Core i7 2600K with ASRock Z68 Extreme4

There are few important things to know about overclocking your Sandybridge CPU.

 

BCLK:

Unlike the previous generation CPUs, with Sandybridge CPUs you don't have two parameters to change  when increasing the clock speed.

Clock speed = BCLK x Multiplier

Sandybridge CPUs have a default BCLK of 100MHz. You cannot increase it more than few MHz before the system becomes unstable. Some chips are capable of 103MHz or more, but most chip + motherboard
combinations don't like going above 100MHz at all. So the easier way to overclock your SB CPU is by increasing the multiplier. For that, you need to buy an unlocked CPU - denoted by the letter K at the end of the model name (e.g. 2600K)

 

Lucid Virtu broken with L2.03 beta UEFI for ASRock Z68 Extreme4 (non Gen3)

Remember that in the previous post I mentioned that ASRock pulled out the *new* L2.02 beta UEFI from their website? Few days later, they released the L2.03 beta UEFI. Of course, I didn't think twice and upgraded. (Who did you think I was?? XD)

Everything is fine after the update, except for one little thing. They somehow broke the Lucid Virtu License with it. Just because you have a Z68 motherboard, you cannot install the Lucid Virtu software. The motherboard has to have a license to use it. I think it is there in the UEFI microcode. So when you install the Lucid Virtu software, it will check if the motherboard has the license to use it, and it will install fine. If not, it will install as a 30-day trial. That's exactly what is happening with this UEFI update. I even reinstalled Windows to see if it was something else. No, other people also have reported the problem. Oh well! I wish I didn't have to reinstall Windows.

As usual, the latest version that lists on Lucid's website is newer than the one listed on ASRock's website. So naturally, you would download the one on Lucid's website (currently, version 114 is the latest. ASRock
lists only version 112). When I tried to install it, it mentioned that this is a 30-day trial. When I install the one on ASRock's website, it would not show that message. But when you go into the ABOUT page in Virtu Control Panel, it would list it as a 30-day trial. Bummer!

This is what it is like now

This is what it should be like (see it is not a trial)

ASRock updated the UEFI on Z68 Extreme4 (and other Z68 boards) for IvyBridge, then pulled the update?

ASRock released new UEFIs for the entire Z68 lineup, getting ready for the IvyBridge launch.

Here’s a comparison between 1.60G UEFI and L2.02 beta UEFI on my Z68 Extreme4 (non-Gen3).

The makeover actually is same as the one on the ASRock Z77 mobos. =)

Main screen: