The multiplier lock is used by CPU manufacturers to prevent consumers and dealers from overclocking the CPU. When overclocking became mainstream, profit margins for CPU manufacturers lowered because users wouldn't need to upgrade to a faster processor.
When locked, the multiplier--the factor by which the bus speed is multiplied to derive the CPU speed--is stuck at one given value, thus ruling out any overclocking on motherboards strictly built to the CPU manufacturers specifications. The lock is hard wired into the CPU and is very difficult to overcome.
Unlocking the Multiplier, Part 1 Covers the various aspects of the multiplier and a brief glimpse into how to unlock it. This tutorial is provided by HardwareCentral.com.
Unlocking the Multiplier, Part 2 Takes a close look at the way 'remarkers' unlock or change the multiplier lock and manage to sell CPUs originally rated at much lower speeds.This tutorial is provided by HardwareCentral.com.
