What Is the Difference between an Unlocked and a Locked Processor?
Content Type: Product Information & Documentation | Article ID: 000058654 | Last Reviewed: 12/10/2024
Unable to find the difference between an unlocked and locked processor.
Unlocked processors are processors that are unlocked to custom tune the processor settings. If the processor is unlocked, you can adjust the power, voltage, core, memory settings, and other key system values for more performance. It helps speed up your components—and your gameplay. It can also help with processor-intensive tasks such as image rendering and transcoding. For example, i9-12900K, and i7-11700KF. Refer to Overclocking Intel® Core™ Processors.
For locked processors, the processor settings can't be custom tuned.
| Note |
Altering clock frequency or voltage may void any product warranties and reduce stability, security, performance, and life of the processor and other components. Check with system and component manufacturers for details. |
To review if a processor is unlocked, check the suffix that follows the processor SKU number. Suffixes K and X refer to unlocked processors.
For more details, check Intel® Processor Names and Numbers.