No one reported Intel Skylake non-K overclocking for the MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK AC.
No one reported Intel Skylake non-K overclocking for the MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK AC.
Hello, I'm looking to purchase an MSI 170A TOMAHAWK AC to enhance my i5-6400's performance. Can you confirm if it's still feasible to overclock on older BIOS versions? I've heard some issues with non-K Intel CPUs even on older boards, and someone mentioned trying non-K OC on that platform. Also, are there any differences between the MSI Z170A Tomahawk AC and the standard Tomahawk models? They seem nearly identical except for the addition of Wi-Fi in the AC version. Thanks!
I had success with MSI Z170M Mortar paired with i3-6100 [email protected]. Still use it daily. It's faster than my i5 on just about everything except video encoding. BCLK OC is not as simple as multiplier OC, but if you're patient and willing to learn then you'll be rewarded.
There's good reason to believe Tomahawk AC will work too. If you go to the BIOS download page you'll see AC version uses exact same BIOS as regular Tomahawk, so you're good. I use the Z170M BIOS released on 1/27/2016. Newer ones may work but I haven't found reason to update again since everything works.
Hope this helps
Thank you for your response. Did you encounter any issues with a new Windows update and microcode? (I've heard you need to remove certain Intel Update files in the Sys32 folder, since Windows won't boot while overclocked)
Also, a more important question: I have an i5 6400 with a batch number from the end of last year. It's almost a year since Intel fixed the non-K overclock with microcode. Should I be concerned that newer non-K batches are fully fixed internally, preventing me from overclocking even with an old BIOS? (I mean, could Intel have added code fixes or changed manufacturing to stop overclocking completely?) One person overclocked an i3-6100 made in July 2016 and it worked fine, so maybe it's not the case. I'm just a bit worried because there are lots of misunderstandings on the internet. 😀
No worries, everything is fine. There are no problems with Windows Update. This release was sent to board makers for newer BIOS versions, but older systems still function properly. I double-checked my BIOS—it’s A.6, not the older A.3 from January 27, though that version worked too.
It seems the issue with the Pentium anniversary edition chip breaking in Windows update might have been resolved and isn’t connected to this one. Since it’s not from Microsoft, it’s possible Intel had a disagreement with Microsoft over the backlash from that incident... who knows?
I’d be safe with the 6400 now, as Intel has since transitioned to Kaby Lake. A bit of caution and a touch of paranoia are definitely worth it.
Hey chenuki, thanks. I’m planning to use an z170 mortar since it’s 20€ cheaper than the tomahawk, or I’ll go with the ASROCK Z170M Pro4S. I’ve heard they perform better at nonk overclock.
Also, I hope the new 2016 models match the overclock capabilities of the 2015 ones.
I’m building my PC next week and will reach out if anything comes up.