Der8auer pushes i5-12400 to 5GHz on a B660 motherboard

After showcasing how to overclock Alder Lake non-K desktop processors on Z690 motherboards, Der8auer has posted a new video, this time using a B660 motherboard to overclock the i5-12400 up to 5GHz.

Based on der8auer findings, only B660 motherboards with DDR5 memory support can be used for BCLK overclocking. The overclocker used a ROG Strix B660-I and a ROG Strix B660-F to show how users can overclock their locked 12th Gen Core CPUs.

On high-end Z690 boards, users have to access to the ‘Tweaker's Paradise' settings to overclock the CPU, but on B660 motherboards, things are slightly different. Besides XMP not working on the current BIOS, BCLK can't be enabled via Tweaker's Paradise. Instead, set the “Ai Overclock Tuner” in “Ai Tweaker” to Manual, and change the BCLK frequency to your choosing. Then, you'll have to adjust CPU voltage based on the overclock you're trying to achieve, while also tweaking load line calibration and CPU current capability.

Considering XMP support seems somewhat bugged for these motherboards currently, you should also edit the RAM voltages, timings, speed and every other configuration set by the XMP profile to use the memory to its full potential.

When overclocking an i5-12400 on the Asus ROG Strix B660-F motherboard, Der8auer achieved a stable 5.0GHz overclock. That was enough to bring the performance up to just below the Ryzen 7 5800X in the Cinebench R20 multi-core test, despite packing two fewer cores. Temperature and power readings showed the processor hitting 93ºC at 117W using a Noctua D15 Chromax cooler during the benchmark.

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KitGuru says: Overclocking a 12400 in a high-end Z690 seemed somewhat irrelevant, as you won't be seeing many enthusiasts buying such a combination. However, a B660 motherboard and the same processor are much more plausible, actually making an alternative worth considering if you're planning to upgrade your system soon.

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