Phenom II x3 gets extra core with BIOS hack

[mr soft]

Just spotted this via Engadget.

http://www.slashgear.com/phenom-ii-x3-gets-extra-core-with-bios-hack-2435542/

[PrntRhd]

It's ok, just understand the warning in the article linked:
Compatible motherboards include certain Biostar models, though as ever you could seriously ruin your CPU and/or system if things don’t go according to plan.

[mjc]

The problem is that most Phenoms with 3 cores active is that the fourth core was deemed 'imperfect' during testing...

[mr soft]

The problem is that most Phenoms with 3 cores active is that the fourth core was deemed 'imperfect' during testing...

I was reading something on that about the X3´s , and it sounds more likely.
I can´t imagine AMD deliberately disabling one good core,whether it be X3 or AM3.

[mjc]

That was one of the reasons they released a tri-core chip in the first place...yields were too low of all four cores being perfect.

[jlreich]

This a pretty common practice. Instead of tossing them out disable parts of it and sell them as a cheaper model. Have some cache on a P4 that is not as good as you like? Lock the bad area and call it a Celeron. Not stable at 2.4GHz? Lock the extra cache and drop the clock speed to 2.0GHz and call it a Celeron. :)

Same deal with watered down versions of video cards. Got a handful of SP's that are not performing well? Lock the bad ones and call it an LE or GS or an 9350 or similar. ;)

Of course not all budget components are ones that didn't make it as their big brothers. They have to actually make them on purpose as well, but it is a great way to salvage the ones that don't go quite as planned during the manufacturing process.

[mjc]

Which is why, for the most part, unlocking them is a "Bad Idea"...