probably a dumb question :)

The motherboard needs to be able to supply that kind of power and is not very economical to make that kind of motherboard standard since most people will never overclock to those speeds. Since those speeds require very exotic cooling solutions it wouldnt be feezble.

yeah, I'd pay good money for a "super motherboard" one that could handle a lot of voltage. Why don't they make them? Where could I get one? I want one that will take me to 5Ghz watercooled at least.

1.7v is the most a cpu can handle? i bet a prescott could handle a ton of voltage? close to 2.5... this is just a guess but they seem to have a higher tolenance for stuff like that

prescotts would use way less and tollerate way less. every time they scale down cpu dies (northwood 130nm vs prescott 90nm) they can lower the vcore (doesnt require as much v's), the prescott's limit vcore would be below the northwood, same as the previous wilamettes (180nm) - there stock vcore was 1.75v concidered a dangerous northwood vcore.

As for the mobo they used if you read the review, it was a custom made ASUS board if i remember correctly - the video clip even shows the vcore regulator cooling.

if Tom's couldn't go over 5Ghz cuz they already had the voltage up too high, then how the heck did somebody do a 7.12Ghz overclock without frying the processor thru excessive voltage???? the way you guys are putting it, it sounds like even if you had liquid nitro the excessive voltage running thru the processor would fry it?

no doubt about that.. but how did that guy get 7.12Ghz when THG could only get 5? Why can't THG make a 7Ghz overclock... :?

Just make the CPUs out of something else that can withstand 10 GHz or more.

Intel are already researching TeraHertz components. (If you don't seek, yé shall not find ), no doubt others like AMD, Sun, etc are aswell.

The die would be larger (no more than +50%), but the clock speed would be over twice as high.... and power consumption.

Silicon isn't the only option.

I'd gladly pay a premium for more processing performance and power (when I got my sig system the CPUs where around AU$3200 of total cost, the video card was AU$450 ), they just don't mass manufacture or offer such things.

Toms should do an article on TeraHertz, or high GigaHertz processors, they are on a roll with the Centrino news (by the looks of it), how can they top it ?