Intel selling $50 codes to unlock parts of your CPU : PC Gamer

[TX-Kingsnake]

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/dg0je/intel_selling_50_codes_to_unlock_parts_of_your/

[TX-Gunslinger]

What will they think of next?

Pay for play games?

S!

Gunny

[GOZR]

Unlocked ? what ? we are getting squizzed ...!!

[GOZR]

This is when Intel spend some time with the Apple guys..

[TX-Gunslinger]

Buy AMD - Keep people in Texas employed.  That's what I'm going to do next.

 

S!

Gunny

[TX-Kingsnake]

Buy AMD

Not so much according to that thread AMD already does it.

AMD has been selling their quad cores as triple cores at a lower price since forever. CPUs from batches that might have one defective core are rebranded and sold. 99% of the time you can unlock the deactivated core any you'll end up with a "more expensive" processor.
This is the exact same thing, only it's official, supported, fool and idiot proof but it costs money. You're not paying more for an inferior product: You're paying less for a product that could have been (but isn't) better.
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CC440 15 points 1 day ago[-]
Except those cores aren't stable. Run something like Prime 95 for several hours and you will hit issues. This has happened on every single unlocked Phenom II I've had a chance to dick with.
It's not noticeable in anything approaching common usage for most people, but real stress exposes the flaws in the core.
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BluPotato 2 points 21 hours ago[-]
Yes! There's a difference between selling chips with a defective core as a 3 core and just locking one perfectly fine one off.
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Penis_Rapture 4 points 1 day ago[-]
People look at me like im nuts telling them that i can make their dual core Phenom II a quad core.
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goodbyeLennon 7 points 1 day ago[-]
Don't you have to have a motherboard that supports core unlocking though?
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T1nd0g comment score below threshold

• (3 children)

RandomPerson99 1 point 1 day ago[-]
How would they unlock it? Special software? What's stopping people from just pirating it/unlocking it themselves?
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jeba 3 points 1 day ago[-]
Software, but I believe it requires a code that's unique to each processor; I think it will be non-trivial to pirate.
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goodbyeLennon 2 points 1 day ago[-]
I bought an AMD Phenom II X3 that is now an X4. You have to buy a motherboard that supports core unlocking. It's very simple to do as long as your extra cores aren't defective. Upon booting the PC you just go into the BIOS and select something like 'enable core unlocking'.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646
That motherboard is an example of one that supports core unlocking.

[TX-Rahman]

I was an AMD guy for years before Intel rallyed back with faster procs.  I would definitely buy AMD again if they took over once again as the Kings of Procs!

[GOZR]

I builted 6 x3 --> quad AMD systems this past month and they run good and teh 4 th core is easy to add as simple as a click !

[TX-Thunderbolt]

I'm no Intel fan boy (I recently built an AMD quad system for my Dad to fly IL2 finally and he's already hooked. More on that later), but the performance comparisons aren't even close. I wish AMD's CPU's were more competitive in the performance side. Their pricing has always been competitive, but Intel cleans their clock in the enthusiast market right now.