How can a processor run faster than its supposed to?
Chips are typically rated by their manufacturers with a bit of “wiggle room” to account for extreme operating conditions, degredation with time, etc. Additionally, sometimes a company is so good at manufacturing chips that even the worst chips they make are still able to run much faster than the lowest rating the manufacturer sells. If the manufacturer were to sell all its chips with higher clock speeds, it would cause a shortage of the low-end chips and a glut of higher-end chips, driving down prices. To maximize profits at various points along the supply and demand curves, the manufacturer sells chips capable of running at a higher clock speeds with lower MHz ratings. This business practice is economically sound, but it does leave room for overclockers to do their thing. In short, the parts are often capable of being pushed well past what the label on the box says.
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