BCLK Frequency

Common Options : 100 to 500 (MHz), in 1 MHz steps

Quick Review

This is an Intel Core i7-specific BIOS option. It controls the frequency of the Core i7 processor's internal base clock, BCLK. By default, the internal base clock for all Intel Core i7 processors runs at 133 MHz.

This BIOS feature allows you to change the Intel Core i7 processor's internal base clock speed, and thereby change the speed of the processor cores and its uncore components. To do that, you just adjust the BCLK Frequency from the default of 133 MHz upwards or downwards, in steps of 1 MHz.

When the BCLK Frequency is increased, the speed of the processor cores and its uncore components increases in tandem.

When the BCLK Frequency is reduced, the speed of the processor cores and its uncore components reduces in tandem.

This BIOS option is useful for Core i7 processors that feature fixed clock ratios (e.g. the Intel Core i7-940 and the Intel Core i7-920 processors) as it allows these processors to be easily overclocked. Like the front side bus of the older Core 2 processors, increasing the BCLK frequency automatically causes the processor to run at a higher clock speed.

However, adjusting the BCLK frequency also changes the frequency of the processor's uncore components like the QuickPath interconnect (Intel's replacement for the front side bus, FSB) and the integrated memory controller. So, you may need to adjust the voltage/frequency/ratio of the QuickPath interconnect and the memory controller to hit the processor clock speed you are aiming for.

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