ASUS just broke a world record for CPU overclocking, using an Intel Core i9 and liquid helium.
Overclocking is the term used when increasing a component’s CPU (Central Processing Unit or computer hardware) to speed up its performance.
A user may overclock a processor to improve the performance of an old computer or conform to the requirements of new software.
Demanding users, such as gamers, may overclock even new, top-end equipment to improve their gaming experience.
The most commonly overclocked computer part is the processor(CPU) but other components, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), motherboard chipsets and graphics cards, are also overclocked.
Also Read: PCIe SSDs Vs SATA SSDs: Which Storage Drive Is Best?
Asus Breaks Overclocking World Record
Before Intel’s new Raptor Lake chips launched, we were impressed that one could get a Core i9-13900K up to 6.2GHz with a liquid chiller.
Asus has now surpassed that record by overclocking the 13th gen Intel Core i9-13900K to an incredible 9.008 GHz.
The same Asus team had previously pushed the same chip to 8.81GHz in October, breaking AMD’s 8.7GHz overclock record from 2014.
How Did They Do It?
The key to the team’s success this time was that they used liquid helium instead of liquid nitrogen.
Apparently, helium can get a lot colder than LN2, but it evaporates almost instantly so it’s a bit tricky to use.
In order to hit 9GHz, the team had to lower the CPU socket temp to -250C. A blowtorch was used around the mainboard to keep its temperature up and prevent condensation during the run.
Asus used the Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Apex platform during this overclocking experiment. Asus announced the record-breaking run on Twitter, and posted the video below as well.
As always with these things, this frequency was achieved on a single core, not all cores.
The Intel i9-13900K has 8 performance and 16 efficiency cores. The efficiency cores were disabled during the overclocking experiment.
Asus claims its Z790 Apex has achieved 14 world records thus far, seemingly justifying its exorbitant pricing.
The CPU frequency has already been recorded in HWbot, making it the official new world record.
