Updated Plans by Intel to prevent overclocking of its processors are nearly complete, according to sources close to the company. At the end of last year, we reported that Intel would introduce locks on microprocessor speeds which would prevent end users from increasing the clock rate on chips. But now, its manufacturing methods mean that Intel chips cannot be overclocked, the source said. "The general rule is if the thing is marked 'Intel confidential' it's an early sample and may not have multiplier locking enabled. If so, there is a utility for Intel mobos that blows a new clock speed into the flash,overrriding the chip's setting. If the chip isn't marked confidential, you're scuppered," the source said. Intel introduced the overclocking lock ostensibly to prevent re-marking of Intel processors, the company said at the time. However,a reader has said that whatever Intel attempts, it may be doomed to failure. He said: "Unless the chip itself has an absolute timer built in it must get its basic time codes from some place on the motherboard. If someone took that spot, identified it and then made a fake time code generator to insert a differnt time code the board would then run at a new high speed. "For example, if the chip has a counter built in and it counts clock pulses for 1 microsecond and has a limit of 500 MHz it will shut down it it gets more than 500 pulses in one microsecond, the 500 MHz rate. "It can be any fixed clock that the CPU can access and use to count pulses to a maximum limit. If you find that clock it uses and reduce the width of that pulse to 1/2 microsecond at 500 MHZ it would then count only 250 and you could then run the board at 1000 mHZ before that counter went over 500 counts. "What is needed is some detailed exploration of the board to figure out what it uses for the time base so that time base can be cracked. I am not a designer, however i feel my concept is valid, unless they have actually built a time base and counter right on the chip to forestall such cracks." Meanwhile, the Microprocessor Report is claiming that Intel has now backtracked on its clock stopping proposal. ® See also Intel says days of overclocking gone Tick, tock, it's overclock time again Intel warns against overclocking new Celerons Intel a white sepulchre on overclocking