Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Homeking
Uriel - will you be able to try this on different motherboards?
I only have one motherboard that's capable of unlocking CPU cores and cache - A Jetway HA08 Combo (http://www.pro-clockers.com/motherbo...therboard.html). ACC or various manufacturers' unlocking tricks are a required feature.
Plenty of unlocking boards about though. Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Biostar, Jetway and ASrock (off the top of my head) all have unlocking models, usually at no increased cost. Worth checking that there are unlocking BIOSes available before purchasing a board (and that they will be kept up to date). AMD have been discouraging manufacturers from including it recently.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
You do have to choose the board carefully though. I didn't get it quite right :(
You want plenty of power available as cheap ones only do 95W and if you manage a quad core unlock with big overclock you are going to need 140W.
You need an SB710 or SB750 southbridge or some special unlocking chip on there to provide ACC support.
Here is where mine went wrong: you need decent BIOS support. For Asus boards that means one of the boards that starts "M4" whereas my "M3" board is pants. In my main machine I get stable 3 cores Phenom at a decent clock.
Still, the economics are quite interesting. You could buy 3 of these chips for the price of a 955BE, and could probably keep the best of them and sell the other 2 on ebay saying how many cores they unlock to at a profit :D
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Thanks guys.
Yes I was looking at the ASUS M4A78LT-M LE until I realised it only supported a CPU up to 95W so I've now started looking at others.
I quite like the look of the Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H but not many places seem to stock it for some reason - can't find it anywhere on Scan.
I think I maybe need to start a new thread on the best motherboard for unlocking cores at around £50 as this was my budget!
I definitely like the economics and the fun to be had by unlocking cores. It's a shame AMD are discouraging it as this is the reason I'm attracted to them over Intel.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Yep - I deliberately chose a board that supported DDR2, DDR3 and 140w CPUs to be as flexible as possible. Then I found out it supported unlocking when I got it, which was a bonus.
It doesn't support selective unlocking though. That could be handy if you have one really bad core but the other 3 are OK.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Good information, thank you. Also, not to stray from the subject, but I'm new here. Uriel you and I use the same motherboard. How can I get your assistance with core unlocking on it with a Phenom II X2 550? I don't know how to message you. Thanks everyone.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
It's a hobby. I don't want a bastardised hobby >.>
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Overclocking my ancient 6300 system meant I could at least run a few games on it, other than games I have no real need for more power and I hardly give them enough importance nowadays to divert part of my income on a new system (better spend in other activities).
Sure overclocking is a bonus feature but at the end of the day we measure the performance not the model number of a CPU. Actively crippling a product and depriving customers of its real "physical" performance for purely commercial reasons (if that's indeed the case) just comes to show you the company doesn't have the customer's best interests at heart.
Altogether I see it as an arrogant stance by Intel given its dominant position, and even if they achieved it by their own merit its an attitude which tends to prompt strong reactions (rational or otherwise) by the consumer. Personally I don't see the 30£ cost difference (between products with similar performance) as reason enough to buy from a company I dislike.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I fall into both of those categories because of the price of £100 for the CPU.
I bought a Phenom2 720 for £118 which is the cheapest I've ever paid for a CPU and gave it a slight overclock too.
I have no intention of upgrading it anytime soon. Unless something fails it has to last another 4 years at least.
Before this I had a single core AMD 3500+ for 5 years so I don't think I fall into the E-peen category.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
As for not having the consumer's interest at heart, at the end of the day a company has obligations to it's shareholders to maximise it's profit, I work in the industry and that is the slightly disheartening reality, usually it doesn't matter too much as competition drives things forward anyway so if you just cripple your products for profit someone will probably take advantage of it.
However because intel in recent years has been consistently dominant they are able to take a few liberties. This issue is intrinsically tied in with the nature of microelectronic manufacturing though so it's not as though they just underclock their cpus for profits only it's a bit of a mix.
Manufacturers have to cater for a worst case scenario that the yield is not good so the clock speeds are set lower than needed, as a result it means people often get a free lunch if they go looking for it.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Great idea to have a poll,for me it's to restrictive.
If it included:-
Bang for your buck/value for money.
Longevity.
Technological advances (we all love new bits & bobs)
Form & Function.
Choice.
I could happly answer.
More polls for me Ta
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I buy the fastest processor I can afford to at the time, I then proceed to overclock to get maximum performance I can.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I agree with blackmage :)
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I got a 1055t and this is my first build, but I plan to overclock when I start to feel my pc slowing down, I dont do anything cpu intensive so I dont need to over clock (not yet).
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Blackmage
I buy the fastest processor I can afford to at the time, I then proceed to overclock to get maximum performance I can.
I buy the cheapest processor that I think will do the job I want, now and in the foreseeable future, and then clock it to a modest level if I ever get around to it.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Saracen
I buy the cheapest processor that I think will do the job I want, now and in the foreseeable future, and then clock it to a modest level if I ever get around to it.
How many years is the future? My CPU's tend to last me around 4 years.
Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
What processor did you have before your 2600k blackmage!?