"No more pins" article

[crazyjoekuta]

this is horrible! i just hope i can get the money i need for a thunderbird (or duron) before it's too late! i don't want to deal with no pins on top of overclocking it!
http://www.insanehardware.com/scoopage/amdpinless/

joe
ps, is there a place (other than overclockerz.com) where i can find out if i am getting a cpu w/ pins?
thanks a lot!

 

[Mday]

i feel so stupid. i posted the same thing... only after you did... =P

 

[crazyjoekuta]

ok, my stupid a$$ just bought an amd thunderbird 700 on e-bay for $140, thinking "it won't have missing pins!". well, to my wonderfull delight, the seller tells me it is indeed missing the pins! fun! fun! fun!
So, does anyone think i might be able to overclock it sometime soon (is it possible to override those missing pins? if so, would someone maybe be making a product to do this???? i'm guessing the demand will be great). i know my questions are probably not answerable, but i am just finding out if i should put the processor back for bid on e-bay as soon as i get it (annoying) and search for a replacement WITH pins.
would overclockerz.com still have unlocked processors for sale?
i am SORRY for running on like this, but i'm really pissed off! i'm so stupid!
joe

 

[Toonces311]

Dude, don't worry. All of the pictures with the missing pins are fakes. These "hardware" sites are posting them trying to get noticed. It has not been confirmed that there are any Tbird/Durons with missing pins.

Your chip probably has the L2 bridges cut. Don't worry either because you can solve that little problem with a pencil.

 

[crazyjoekuta]

ok, that is reassuring. however, i sent a link of that site (http://www.insanehardware.com/scoopage/amdpinless/) to the guy that i bought the cpu from, and he replied: "I checked out that website (insanehardware) it appears the processor is
missing those pins. So maybe can't be overclocked."
I guess only time will tell.........
he sends it out on monday, i'll let you guys know if AMD has finally done it!
thanks for the reply!
joe

 

[IaPuP]

Toonces,

The original report of missing pins was supplied in a *private* email from Soltek.

This is about as reliable a source as you're going to find. they weren't looking for publicity. I agree that I'm not *totally* sure that this is a 'real' pin-less CPU, but I would have to believe that there *are* *some* out there.

Eric

 

Wait till you get it and find out.

 

[slpaulson]

Don't the "golden bridges" still work?

 

[MadRat]

We have alot of paranoia out there. AMD promised to lock the processor. They did.
AMD never to my knowledge promised to yank pins off the cpu, nor have they said
that their current locking scheme was inadequate. The current locking scheme may
be the long-term scheme they've already promised!

AFA anyone knows the missing pins socket-A cpu is an urban legend.

 

[Techwhore]

I don't understand y AMD or any chip maker would discourage overclocking... the amount of people who actaully do overclock is not significant at all... i think it's all just a ploy for AMD to make more money, if they really didn't want people to overclock, they wouldn't add things like that 40 pin connector on the athlon classic or the golden bridges on the duron/tbird... no matter what they do, someone's gonna come out with something to make it overclock. The the 40 pin connector on the original athlon was weird... i mean, it's inside the casing so you're not supposed to know it's there, then somebody just randomly decides to crack the casing open and poke around inside only to discover these pins. Not only that, but this person then decides to solder the pins in all sorts of combinations and discovers that it unlocks the core! I don't know, I think AMD is making a side market out of overclocking. They must be taking cuts

 

[Mday]

because it cuts into their profits directly. as well as causes a hell of a warrantee issue as well as the ease at which some people can alter and sell them higher without the customers' knowledge (as in fakes). that last part makes no sense to multiplier locked processors.

 

[Topher]

You can still overclock the processor even without the pins. It is much more involved however and involves running wires from the resistors on the top of the processor. Not for the faint-hearted.

 

[johncar]

Or you can use the Aternative BP_FID Settings method at
http://members.xoom.com/candjac/index.htm on page 2 of Duron OC
article. No cutting of bridges or soldering, just a "paint job".
John C.