Core Unlocking??

[tony draper]

Pottering about with this new machine's bios, and it has a option to unlock cores, what exactly is a core unlocker and if the CPU has four cores why are any of them locked? and If I unlock it will it make the machine run faster??
The CPU is a AMD Phenom 11x4 965 3.4 ghz the Mother Board ASUS M4N68T with core unlocker.well it says so on the box lid.
:confused:

[Parapunter]

Let me google that for you (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=core+unlocking);)

[tony draper]

Already did that Mr P didn't understand what they were rabbiting on about,or indeed nowt why would want to lock or unlock cores one likes to hear things explained in simple terms.
:rolleyes:
Many years ago one built a dual cpu Pentium 2/3?machine with the idea it would be swift ,sadly there weren't any progs then that would run than multi threaded ie used both cores. cost a bloody fortune as well.:(

Ere disregard the above Gents, according to task manager I already have four cores working on my behalf.
:rolleyes:

[Bushfiva]

The AMD Phenom II and Athlon II can have between 2 and 4 cores (avoiding going into detail). A core is basically a CPU. Each version is sold at a different pricing point. Recent Athlon II are Phenoms with 2 cores locked out.

2- and 3-core chips have 4 physical cores on them. If everything tests OK, it's a 4-core CPU. If one or two cores fails either totally or performance-wise, it's locked out and the CPU is sold as a 2- or 3-core CPU.

HOWEVER, it's possible that market demand for 2- and 3-core CPUs can't be met from failed 4-core units, so in that case AMD may be locking perfectly usable cores on 4-core CPUs to create additional 2- and 3-core CPUs.

Therefore, if you buy a 3-core CPU, its 4th core may be locked because it's defective, because it misses a performance target somehow, or because it's functional but disabled to meet market demand for a 3-core CPU.

So some motherboards can unlock the "defective" core on a CPU, on the off-chance that you have what would otherwise be a fully-functional 4-core unit.

People report generally good results unlocking Phenom X3s. AMD may or may not be turning a blind eye to this, as it gives AMD a price- and performance-competitive CPU against the Intel i3 series. As a user, you end up with a machine which works somewhere between won't boot and perfectly.

You have a 4-core unit with all cores enabled (Phenom II X4: the "X4" tells you).

Incidentally, the same testing system works for speed, too: in general a CPU at a certain speed may have been manufactured for that speed, or it might be a higher-speed unit that failed testing at its design speed and was re-tested at the lower speed, or it might be a higher-speed unit marked down to fill a market demand.

[tony draper]

Intel did something similar with the 486 I think it was,all the versions were rumored to be the same but one type had the maths co processor disabled and sold as a cheaper version.
Dammed scoundrels :rolleyes:
Thanks for the help peeps.

[zarniwoop]

There were indeed two versions of the 486, they had the -DX and -SX suffix,, the -DX was the fully fledged unit, the -SX had the maths co-prfocessor disabled, much the same reason as Bushfivas comment, it's all about maximising use of different price points that people will pay.

[srobarts]

Unless things have changed since I left the industry, because of the dropout rate in manufacture they manufature to the full spec, test, sort according to the test - for example in the days of floppy disks most manufaturers manufactured as quad density, and according to the testing were marketed as quad, double or single density. I would expect that the same principles pertain to chip manufacture. It makes sense and ensures that as much product as possible reaches the market place - the more that goes in the bin raises the price of the product to the customer. Early colour laptop screens had a manufacture drop-out rate as high as 98% in the early days hence the very high price!

[Mr Optimistic]

I did this with a phenom II black edition dual core cpu. Got three cores working ok but not sure about 4th (psu maybe not up to it). If its a BE chip maybe better just to overclock.