No one has to. Each CPU has a tiny bit of flash memory that stores the highest values for mult, FSB, voltage, etc. All that anyone has to do is pop the CPU into a very simple reading device and voila, they know if you've OCed that puppy or not in the bat of an eye. :ONobody is gonig to take a job like checking CPU's very seriously
It's an internal system, read only externally, so it can't be changed. It's the same as with any data protecting smartcard. The pins for readout are somewhere in the socket specs, if you can stand to read through them to find it. It's a simple enough system.That doesnt surprise me, but I didnt know that could be done. What actually stores the highest value? What can be done to change it?
They're only starting. Intel and AMD had the advantage of being flash memory manufacturers themselves, so it was easy for them to think of it and implement it. ATI and nVidia took longer to come up with a solution, but it's been there since they moved away from AGP. I think it was the new form factor that got them to thinking in a new direction, but I could be wrong.I wonder if the same holds true for video cards?