MSI Expands Overclocking Horizons: P-Core Beyond 6GHz+ Now Available for Z690 and Z790

As early as September this year, MSI’s BIOS interface introduced a novel feature named “P-Core Beyond 6GHz+,” enabling users to effortlessly overclock the CPU performance core to frequencies exceeding 6GHz. The peak option, “6.3/5.8GHz,” signifies that the CPU can operate at up to 6.3GHz in single-core and up to 5.8GHz in all-core frequencies, greatly simplifying the overclocking process for users. Initially, this feature was exclusive to the latest Z790 MAX series motherboards.

MSI has now extended the “P-Core Beyond 6GHz+” functionality to all its Z690 and Z790 motherboards, albeit currently supporting only the Core i9-14900K processor.

The “P-Core Beyond 6GHz+” feature intelligently adjusts the processor and motherboard based on real-time conditions to achieve the necessary power settings for frequencies above 6 GHz. To reach such elevated frequencies, automatic adjustments might inevitably lead to excessively high voltage, thus making it more suitable for users with less experience. However, for those who believe their motherboard is robust enough to sustain such high frequencies and have installed a high-end water cooling system, it is certainly worth trying to push the Core i9-14900K processor’s frequency beyond 6 GHz.

In addition to extending the “P-Core Beyond 6GHz+” feature to all Z690 and Z790 motherboards, MSI has also enhanced its products’ support for APO (Intel Application Optimization), including the Z790, Z690, B760, B660, and H610 series. Intel’s APO is a gaming-specific feature that works in tandem with Intel’s existing hardware thread scheduler to ensure better application thread distribution for applications. Regrettably, the APO feature is only available for Intel’s 14th-generation Core desktop processors.