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Athlon II X2 220 unlocks to Phenom II X4 925

N

NoobyDoo

Senior member
http://en.hardspell.com/doc/enshowcont.asp?id=7773

a new AthlonII X2 220 appeared.(reference price $47) ... Through the CPUZ screenshot we can see AthlonII X2 220 core frequency is 2.8GHz,which is same with AthlonII X2 240,But L1 cache is only 1MB, others is same.By these specifications can be inferred, AthlonII X2 220 after unlock is equal to quad-core Phenom II X4 925.
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We use a 880G motherboard and unlocked AthlonII X2 220 successful.Through the picture we can see the other two cores and 6MB L3 cache.After long time still is very stable.
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And if you buy a AthlonII X2 220,which can unlock additional core,It will has better performance,After all after unlock additional cores it basically is a Phenom II X4 925, the test results has proved this.When compared with Core i3 530, AthlonII X2 220 still is a better choice.
Click to expand...
 
What the hell, the x2 220 unlocks? Bizarre. How many excess Deneb dice does AMD have kicking around in their closet?

I wonder if this applies to the C2-stepping x2 220 as well? There isn't supposed to be a C2 x2 220, but it's out there. I've seen it. Look for GQ at the end of the product code (as opposed to GM).
 
Well, they did have an Athlon X2 5000+ version that was a crippled Phenom II. Less than 50% unlock rate but the lucky ended up with an amazing bargain. I don't think it's marketing, they would much rather sell those chips as quad cores if they are stable. Definitely market demand for cheaper CPUs forcing them to cripple some of their higher binned chips.

Not sure if this Athlon II X2 220 is legit but if so it would be Athlon X2 5000+ round 2.
 
Yeah, decent multiplier. Someone please let us know if they get one of these that unlocks to a quad.
 
Wish I had an AM3 board. This s775 is getting boring to tinker with...

Nevermind that is faster clock for clock, i need something new. Whats the cheapest motherboard that can unlock? If its AM2+ thats fine. i'd prefer it actually to use my DDR2.
 
Scholzpdx said:
Wish I had an AM3 board. This s775 is getting boring to tinker with...

Nevermind that is faster clock for clock, i need something new. Whats the cheapest motherboard that can unlock? If its AM2+ thats fine. i'd prefer it actually to use my DDR2.
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Gigabyte 785GM-US2H
 
yeah after my other x2 didn't unlock, I'm wary of buying another one of those 'highly advertised unlockable cpus', they probably do that to get more suckers like me to buy these x2s. no thanks.
 
nyker96 said:
yeah after my other x2 didn't unlock, I'm wary of buying another one of those 'highly advertised unlockable cpus', they probably do that to get more suckers like me to buy these x2s. no thanks.
Click to expand...
It isn't AMD that advertises unlocking. If anything, AMD has been trying to put a clamp on ACC/unlocking, last I heard they've been forcing motherboard manufacturers to phase out ACC (and if I remember correctly, some boards already have had BIOS updates that removed the functionality).

If you want to blame anybody for "highly advertised unlockable CPUs", blame tech forum people primarily, and secondly some overly-enthusiastic tech sites hoping for more traffic.
 
jvroig said:
It isn't AMD that advertises unlocking. If anything, AMD has been trying to put a clamp on ACC/unlocking, last I heard they've been forcing motherboard manufacturers to phase out ACC (and if I remember correctly, some boards already have had BIOS updates that removed the functionality).

If you want to blame anybody for "highly advertised unlockable CPUs", blame tech forum people primarily, and secondly some overly-enthusiastic tech sites hoping for more traffic.
Click to expand...

Yup. I got a 550 BE hoping to unlock (I had the correct motherboard), but no luck.

Definitely "buyer beware" on this one.
 
Think of it this way, the x2 220 is a pretty darn good dual core for the price. The Sempron 140 is only $12 cheaper, so if you pick up the 220, as long as you look for the product code that ends in GM, you're getting a guaranteed dual core (as opposed to "maybe" dual core, guaranteed single core Sempron 140) that has the C3 stepping (as opposed to the C2 stepping on the 140; step up to the C3-stepping 145, and you will pay more than $35 for it). This is assuming you can find a 220 for $47, though. The cheapest I can find it is $49 (before s/h and taxes).

If it unlocks, it's just a nice bonus provided you have sufficient cooling to handle a quad.

Also, avoid the parts with the GQ at the end of their part number: this denotes the C2 stepping.
 
On these unlockable CPUs, does the unused portion of the CPU still generate heat or add to the total TDP? Or do they actually shut off completely?
 
Unknown. I would have to think that they do chew up a little power, though I've never seen measurements done to show how much.
 
Scholzpdx said:
On these unlockable CPUs, does the unused portion of the CPU still generate heat or add to the total TDP? Or do they actually shut off completely?
Click to expand...

Based on the large difference in power consumption under load between a Phenom II X2 and Phenom II X4 when clocked the same, I would have to think they shut off completely, or at least close to complete.
 
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