unlocking the AMD Athlon II
unlocking the AMD Athlon II
I know this is very old line of cpu's and after reading through the old threads on the subject i do have question that may seem silly.
I know that the potential for unlocking cores depends on a lot factors including if they are even on the chip lol but is the voltage a factor?
for example if i had a x2 and bios is only showing two cores (i can turn these on and off) if i up the cpu voltage slightly could third core appear in these options?
I think the answer will be no, but i am a newbie and wanted to check.
voltage plays a significant role, but unless you're going for a challenge and ready to watch something fail, don't attempt it. I understand that boosting the voltage could help stabilize things after unlocking, but I'm curious if it's necessary to actually notice the extra cores in the bios. Just for fun, I'm willing to take the risk.
Increasing the voltage alone won't necessarily reveal hidden cores. It depends on whether your BIOS allows core unlocking. Be aware that certain cores remain inaccessible due to manufacturing flaws or test failures. Even if unlocked, a slightly higher voltage might be needed because of increased processor demands.
CountMike is suggesting a different approach to boosting performance. He notes that simply increasing the voltage won't necessarily unlock cores, unless the BIOS supports it. He explains that some cores are disabled due to manufacturing defects. Even if they're unlocked, higher voltage might be needed because of increased processor load.
Quickly reviewed the MB manual but didn't find any options for unlocking additional cores.
Core Leveling
This feature lets you enable the Core Leveling function.
Options: Auto (default) or Manual.
In manual mode, you can view the cores on the chip and turn them off or on.
From your response, it seems this function doesn't unlock additional cores...
With the x3 cpu arriving soon, I'll verify if the BIOS option unlocks core 4. Regardless, I'll share the results here to assist others. Apart from the core unlock uncertainty, this motherboard is quite solid overall. I think the core unlock would definitely be a stronger selling point.
OK tried AMD Athlon II X3 445 on Biostar A780L3C Socket AM3
Result... Core Leveling doesn't unlock the third core.
Also, the multiplier stays at its maximum so you can't even overclock in the BIOS.
Changed my mind—I'm not a fan of this motherboard and will do more research next time... at least this thread could help someone else.