> No, no they don't. Yes, they do. The power limits are set in MSRs within the CPU and the CPU has default values for those MSRs. > basically no desktop mothe

> No, no they don't. Yes, they do. The power limits are set in MSRs within the CPU and the CPU has default values for those MSRs. > basically no desktop motherboard at least follows Intel's "recommendation" out of the box. Wrong again. Motherboards using chipsets other than the Z series typically do not change the power limits unless the user explicitly sets them. These days even Z series boards do not change the power limits unless the user enables at least one overclocking feature, e.g. XMP. This is how the motherboard manufacturers technically follow Intel's specs while actually running out-of-spec with the settings most enthusiast users use.