unlocking a dual core.

[Doougin]

im helping my friend upgrade his computer and hes running a phenom II 550 BE 3.1 ghz. weve looked at a couple of boards that unlock the extra cores but some unlock it thru bios and others have a switch. is there a difference between how each does it and is one more effective than the other.

bios mb:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130590

switch mb:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131699

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

Personally I would get the one without the switch because it is already simple enough to unlock CPUs. With the BIOS controlled ones you can control how many cores to unlock.

 

[Doougin]

thank u for the info. another thing is from what i kno, most dual cores r quads with two cores disabled. either just to be a dual core or the cores were defective. does unlocking the cores run a risk of damaging the cpu overall.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

thank u for the info. another thing is from what i kno, most dual cores r quads with two cores disabled. either just to be a dual core or the cores were defective. does unlocking the cores run a risk of damaging the cpu overall.

No, sometimes one or both of the unlocked cores are unstable, in this case you will just need to disable the ones that arn't stable. You cannot cause damage that way.

You will not damage the CPU from unlocking unless your cooling fan cannot handle the extra heat from the extra cores. Make sure you keep the core temps under 62C at all times.

 

[jacktesterson]

Go for one without the switch

 

[LxMxFxD4]

I'd personally not try unlocking cores. I've tried it twice and once it worked but the core ultimately caused problems and in the second case it wouldn't unlock at all.

Just spend the extra $ and get the real deal IMHO. AMD chips are so cheap, its not worth the headache

 

[jacktesterson]

I'd personally not try unlocking cores. I've tried it twice and once it worked but the core ultimately caused problems and in the second case it wouldn't unlock at all.

Just spend the extra $ and get the real deal IMHO. AMD chips are so cheap, its not worth the headache

I personally have never had a Phenom II X2 that would not at least unlock to a X3. Some will become X4's with added Voltage.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Built a friend a rig based around a x2 550.

Wouldn't run stable with 4 cores ran perfectly fine as a x3 for a couple days then i rebooted and it bluescreened.

Ran it back at stock for a few days and tried to unlock it to a x3 again and it wouldn't play nice.

Best to get the real deal i think.

 

[Doougin]

Thanks for the info guys. ill talk it over with him and see what he wants to do. hes not lookin for anything special from a board so tryin the unlocking wont hurt anythin.

 

[SithSolo1]

I personally have never had a Phenom II X2 that would not at least unlock to a X3. Some will become X4's with added Voltage.

my x2 555 would not unlock even @ 1.45v. Now my guess is the motherboard Is more at fault than the chip. Its a budget board that only supports up to 95w cpus. Runs 3.8ghz @ 1.37v without a hitch though