Memory makers are going to be looking for better ways to overclock RAM in the coming Intel X58 chipset motherboards running the Core i7 processor. Asus has confirmed that Intel is telling board makers that memory voltages over 1.65V could kill the CPU.

With overclocking, too much voltage always meant the risk of killing something in your pricey computer system. The catch with the X58 Core i7 combo is that the voltage you can't exceed for memory is well under what some enthusiast memory kits need to hit high frequencies.

According to The Inquirer, 1.65 volts is the kick-off point, beyond which one begins to run the risk of sending a brand-new Core i7 off to meet the big CPU maker in the sky. This is not good news for enthusiasts with expensive RAM around including some OCZ Reaper kits needing 1.9V. Some performance memory needs even more voltage—Corsair Dominator kits that need up to 2.1V. Mushkin told The Inq that it was redesigning performance kits for the Core i7 CPU on an X58 chipset motherboard and expected to have tri-channel memory kits out in November. Presumably other manufacturers will quickly follow suit, though this requirement could leave an awful lot of high-voltage RAM (relatively speaking) stuck on the market without a premium product to mate with.

One member at XFastest posted pictures of a retail packaged Asus P6T motherboard for the Core i7 using the X58 chipset. A sticker on the RAM slots shouts out to the enthusiast that going over 1.65V on memory could damage the CPU permanently. If you are wondering the exact reason anything over 1.65V means death for the Core i7 CPU, there has been no official explanation from Intel.