Your i7 became a three-core processor.
Your i7 became a three-core processor.
I've observed some slowdowns over the past few months. I assumed my 2013 I7-4770 was becoming outdated. Checking Task Manager revealed one of my cores was underperforming. Does this mean the CPU is failing? I haven't adjusted any BIOS settings.
Open msconfig, go to the Boot section, select Advanced settings... Ensure the Number of processors field is unchecked. Click OK, restart your computer and check if Windows recognizes your missing core.
I attempted it but it wasn't enabled. When I verify it now, only allows selection of up to 6 cores. Restarting the BIOS didn't fix the issue. Might be your 7-year-old CPU has been heavily used?
Consider testing the CPU on another motherboard if available. Alternatively, experiment with a different CPU for that board. There are also reports of unusual RAM issues where repositioning the CPU resolved them. It might not be identical, but I’d consider it.
It's possible someone else has the same socket in their motherboard. Many people I know have an AM4 socket, so it's not uncommon. I'm curious to understand why a core might be missing, but now I'm interested in finding out for myself.
I suspect a workstation at the office might share the same socket, but I'm not certain. I'll keep digging and fixing this issue. This has never happened before, so I'm also intrigued about its origin.