Amd athlon x3 445 unlock 4 cores. Free cheese - unlocking cores for AMD processors. Features of unlocking different series of processors

Introduction

History is forced to repeat itself often: manufacturer X, known for its flagship product Y, recently began releasing a mid-level product Z, which is built on a silicon crystal that for some reason does not reach Y. But instead of throwing away the crystal, X disables it a certain part, after which it sells it as Z - at a lower price.

Typically, in most cases (but we don't know how big that majority is), it's because the kernel actually has a defect. But sometimes a manufacturer just needs to release processors at a certain price level that are in short supply. ATI Radeon HD 4830, nVidia GeForce GTX 260, AMD Phenom II X3 700 and 800 lines are all examples of products based on more expensive components.

AMD Phenom II

For testing, we bought a retail version of the X3 processor. Click on the picture to enlarge.

A couple of months ago from Korea information has arrived, which stated that you can simply unlock the fourth core on the Phenom II X3 processor by enabling the Advanced Clock Calibration feature on some motherboards, which turns the $135 Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition (from 6 thousand rubles in Russia) into a Phenom II processor X4 920 (Black Edition) for $190 (from 6.9 thousand rubles in Russia) by changing the option in the BIOS. For now, we'll ignore the question of whether it's worth saving to get a potentially unstable system.

As you remember from our article dedicated to the launch of the Phenom II, AMD stated that ACC technology does not change anything technically for the Phenom II, since it is already integrated into the Phenom II. The same ACC technology allowed the Phenom to reach higher frequencies after overclocking. Now, this feature of the SB750 southbridge appears to have affected the Phenom II in a different way.

How it all works remains a mystery to us. Two motherboard manufacturers, ASRock and Biostar, have said they support the ability to unlock X3 processors, but neither company has explained how this happens. To be fair, this is unlikely to be due to any trickery on the part of the companies, and something similar is probably going on: ACC can change the way the CPU checks for errors, increasing error tolerance and reducing the chance of failure under certain conditions. In this case, increasing the error tolerance of ACC made it possible to “revive” the disconnected section of silicon.

We also bought a retail version of the X4 processor. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Biostar's product manager said that any board with SB750 southbridge can achieve the same unlocking effect. ASRock confirmed this, and also provided us with its own test data on a certain number of processors, where there is a fairly even distribution of chips that are unlocked and work stably; chips that can be unlocked but are unstable; chips that are not unlocked at all.

And here's what's interesting. AMD says the ACC/Phenom II X3 hype has boosted sales of a product line that we thought was underperforming. After all, after the X3 first came out, many applications simply didn't know what to do with three cores. And the company says it has no plans to stop enthusiasts from unlocking the X3's fourth core by enabling ACC on the SB750.

But one motherboard manufacturer told us that AMD plans to end ACC support in the SB750 southbridge this month. Another manufacturer reported that AMD is putting pressure on it to update the firmware of the integrated ACC controller and publish an "updated" BIOS version. And if the first is an assumption, then the second seems to be true. Indeed, free cheese only comes in a mousetrap. Proof? A little lower.

Cores and cache

It looks like the X3s aren't the only models that can do more. AMD's Phenom II X4 800 line of chips (those with 4MB of L3 cache instead of the full 6MB) can also be unlocked using the ACC trick, although the benefit in this case seems dubious. The Phenom II X4 810 processor cost $167 (6.8 thousand rubles in Russia) on Newegg.com at the time of publication of the article. The Phenom II X4 920, operating at 200 MHz faster, cost $189 (6.9 thousand rubles in Russia). Of course, the 810 belongs to the Socket AM3 generation, and the 900 line is currently limited to AM2+, but AMD will update the Socket AM3 line with top-end models in the near future, so it hardly makes sense to limit yourself to AM2+ today, especially if you plan to switch to DDR3 in the future.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

But let's get down to the real hardware and see if we can get a stable system after unlocking less expensive processors. Of course, it hardly needs repeating once again that even at standard clock frequencies here we have the same consequences as after overclocking. That is, no one will provide technical support for this step, except for the community of enthusiasts.

Not all motherboards are suitable

First, we decided to choose a platform suitable for testing on Socket AM3. We already knew that ASRock and Biostar are the two manufacturers that initially supported this idea. And in our Expert Club, readers asked to conduct similar tests.

We started by testing the Asus M4A79T Deluxe, which, judging by other sites, should work. But nothing worked out. The board worked well with ACC disabled. As soon as we enabled this feature, our Phenom II X3 720 (which we knew would unlock successfully) began to constantly show a blue screen. We were using the latest BIOS from Asus, so we took another motherboard with an older BIOS.

Next up was the Gigabyte MA790XT-UD4P motherboard. We received this board with BIOS F2 dated January 16, 2009. However, this did not help to unlock our “successful” copy of Phenom II X3. On March 10, Gigabyte released BIOS version F2B, which was supposed to update the ACC code for Phenom X3 processors. We updated the BIOS to the latest version F3, but that didn't help either.

We contacted Gigabyte to find out what is meant by "ACC code update". According to the company, all manufacturers developing new BIOSes with the latest AMD microcode must disable the core/cache unlock feature, which at least explains why ASUS and Gigabyte motherboards with the latest BIOS versions refused to cooperate with us. Why not use the old microcode? The latest firmware fixes many other issues, including the random reboot issue. From a motherboard manufacturer's perspective, releasing a more stable BIOS version is still preferable to leaving behind an unsupported and potentially problematic hack feature. In general, if you want to keep your hacked Phenom II, you need to stick to the BIOS version before the fix.

The ASRock M3A790GXH/128M is the only board in our lab that was still able to unlock all Phenoms. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Finally, we took a board that should be guaranteed to work: ASRock M3A790GXH/128M. What’s strange is that even with the ACC function set to Auto, the board enabled the fourth core of the Phenom II X3 720 under Windows. ASRock has only released one BIOS version for this motherboard - the original one. Perhaps a BIOS update will be released after a while and the board will lose unlocking functions?

ASRock representatives told us that the company is in no rush to include the latest microcode fixes. If AMD releases new processors or fixes bugs that it deems critical to firmware updates, then two BIOS versions will be presented to the consumer, and enthusiasts will be able to choose one or the other.

And not all processors either

We ended up testing three Phenom II X4 810 processors and three Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processors. One processor was received from AMD as samples. We received one processor each from ASRock - these were guaranteed unlock models, which we used to test whether we could unlock processors on other motherboards. Finally, we bought the last pair on Newegg to get an idea of the possibility of unlocking retail versions of the processors.

Of course, we successfully unlocked two processors from ASRock. The Phenom II X4 810 from AMD also worked. But we were unable to unlock the Phenom II X3 720 BE from AMD. We successfully unlocked the Phenom II X4 810, purchased on Newegg. But the Phenom II X3 720 couldn’t.

The processors that we were able to unlock normally had the ACC function set to "Auto" in the BIOS of the ASRock motherboard. The X3 720 sample we received from ASRock passed all of our tests with this setup, showing the performance benefit of including the fourth core. We then ran the Prime95 test to check stability. After just a few minutes, the platform froze, and after a reset, it started reporting only three cores - even with ACC enabled.

We have already read about similar behavior when unlocking the processor “does not take root.” Fortunately, this allowed us to find a way to get the unlocking back, even if it fails.

X3 720 unlocked, ACC enabled.

Regular X3 720, ACC disabled.

We have started to change the ACC setting to modes other than "Auto" while using the "All Cores" option. By changing it in 2% increments, we were able to get the fourth core back at a -6% setting. And while previously the system could not pass the Prime95 test at all, in this case it worked fine for an hour without errors before we turned off the computer. It seems that a more aggressive ACC setting will stabilize the unlocking of the fourth core.

However, the ACC doesn't work miracles. On our two Phenom II X3 720s, which had the core unlocked and in the "Auto" position, we changed the ACC setting from +12% to -12%, and still did not find any sign of the fourth core.

X4 810 unlocked, ACC enabled.

Regular X4 810, ACC disabled.

Processor results

CPU	Model number #	Week and stepping	Possibility of unlocking
Phenom II X4 810 from AMD	HDX810WFK4FGI	0849 CPBW	Yes
Phenom II X4 810 from ASRock	HDX810WFK4FGI	0848 DPM	Yes
Phenom II X4 810 from Newegg	HDX810WFK4FGI	0903 CPAW	Yes
Phenom II X3 720 from AMD	HDZ720WFK3DGI	0849 CPMW	No
Phenom II X3 720 from ASRock	HDZ720WFK3DGI	0849 CPMW	Yes
Phenom II X3 720 from Newegg	HDZ720WFK3DGI	0904 EPMW	No

The results look best for the AMD Phenom II X4 810, regardless of when this processor was produced or what stepping it might have. In all three cases, we were able to unlock and add 2MB of L3 cache on the ASRock motherboard.

Date of publication: 04/01/2015

We all know that computer hardware manufacturers include a large supply of capabilities in their components. But greedy marketers sell it in portions, turning off many functions and hiding blocks from use. Let's learn how to enable hidden features.

ENABLE AMD PROCESSOR CORES

Many processors contain hidden cores

Almost all AMD processors are subject to this modification, especially the Phenom II X6 and FX-series, since they have hidden cores.

As a rule, 1-2 hidden cores are included, and in the case of FX-s, quad-cores become FX-4300 => FX 6300 six-core, FX 6350 = FX 8320 eight-core, and FX 8350 => FX 9590 5GHz becomes a top processor!!! To do this, you need to enable the UCC Unlocker function in the BIOS.

Enabling INTEL PROCESSOR CORES

A similar thing happens with INTEL processors, with the only difference that the L3 cache is often enabled on lower processors. To activate, you need to update the BIOS to an unlocked Unlock intel BIOS and enable the corresponding checkbox.

OVERCLOCKING Intel Core i3/i5/i7 CPU without “K” multiplier

An alternative BIOS allows you to overclock all Intel processors

Everyone also knows that Intel processors with an unlocked K multiplier are absolutely no different from the same ones without a multiplier, except for the inflated price. However, they can be overclocked by the bus by increasing the base FSB from 100 MHz up to 200 MHz (i.e. 2 times!), or you can open the multiplier by updating the BIOS with the same Unlock intel BIOS

INCREASING HDD CAPACITY

It's no secret that platters for hard drives are made of STANDARD volume. Then WHERE, you say, do multiple HDD capacities come from, say 750GB???

That's right - the manufacturer simply blocks the volume of the hard drive on one or more platters, which can and SHOULD be unlocked!

To unlock we will need the Acronis program.

1.) You should first change the disk type from MBR => GPT in the disk settings and make it dynamic so that hidden areas can be freely addressed by the operating system.

2.) You need to demagnetize your hard drive with a powerful magnet to erase the factory locking code.

3.) Use the Acronis utility to select any desired HDD capacity.

DISABLED HDD BLOCK BLOCKS

It's always nice to fix a hard drive using software

The same manipulation, only in reverse order, should be performed to block the damaged areas. In this case, even a crumbling hard drive will work like new. At the same time, remember that it is easy to recover any lost data on the HDD, since they are always backed up to hidden factory partitions. To do this, again, you just need to turn them on as described in the chapter above.

ENABLE ALL SHADERS OF THE RADEON VIDEO CARD

R9 290X unlocked from a simple Radeon HD 7730 1Gb

Radeon and GeForce video cards, among other things, differ in that Nvidia is not too lazy to make a separate chip for each new video card, but AMD usually simply disables some of the shader units of older video cards to make younger ones. Judge for yourself, such video cards as Radeon HD 5850 and 5870 have the same chip, and 1440 and 1600 shaders, respectively. The same goes for R9 280-280X, etc.

To enable all Radeon shaders, you need to install the GeForce driver on it in safe mode as on a standard VGA device (reboot by pressing F8).

Unlocking increases speed significantly

Enabling ALL CUDA Cores of the NVIDIA VIDEO CARD

Here it will be more complicated... It is necessary to close the jumpers on the VGA port with penny resistors as shown in the figure.

This manipulation includes all blocks of GeForce video cards

The resistor parameters do not matter. This method also makes all video cards professional TESLA series, and also fights artifacts.

INCREASING POWER SUPPLY POWER

High voltage can KILL! Don't do that))

Almost all Chinese power supplies differ only in the size of the cooling radiators. Therefore, it’s enough just to open the lid and install another fan on the power supply, and you can even hang an SLI GeForce 780Ti or lower-end video cards unlocked before it on the Noname 400W power supply.

Let’s not forget that the article was written solely as an April Fool’s joke 🙂 and we are not chasing the ball. It should be noted that in skillful hands, some things can actually be accomplished. But there is much more benefit from the correct configuration and selection of components specifically for your task.

Have a spring mood!

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The process of unlocking locked cores in some AMD processors using the example of the Athlon ll x3 425 VKontakte group http://vk.com/homepcremont Affiliate program - https://youpartnerwsp.com/join?36319 (from 50 subscribers)

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Increasing the performance of AMD processors by unlocking cores

If you have a computer equipped with a modern AMD processor, this means that you have a chance to significantly increase the performance of your PC without spending a penny on this goal. We are talking about a technology called “unlocking AMD processor cores.” This technology allows you to increase the number of processor cores available to the system - usually from two to four or three.

Of course, such an operation is very tempting. Indeed, as tests show, in some cases the performance of the updated processor almost doubles. Moreover, to successfully carry out this operation, you only need a little knowledge of BIOS options, and, incidentally, a little luck.

The principle of operation of the method

First of all, let's try to understand the question of why AMD needed to “hide” the processor cores from the user. The fact is that each processor manufacturer within a certain line has several models that differ in both price and capabilities. Naturally, cheaper processor models have fewer cores compared to more expensive ones. However, in many cases it is irrational to specifically develop models with fewer cores, so many manufacturers, in this case, AMD, do something simpler - they simply disable unnecessary processor cores.

In addition, many AMD processors may have defective cores that have a number of disadvantages. Such processors are also not thrown away, and after disabling unnecessary cores, they are sold under the guise of cheaper varieties of processors. However, the discovered shortcomings of disabled kernels may not be critical for their functioning. For example, if the processor core has a slightly increased heat dissipation compared to the standard one, then using a processor with such a core is quite possible.

It’s worth saying right away that the success of the core unlocking operation largely depends not only on the AMD processor line and its model, but also on a certain series of processors. In many series, only the cores in individual processors can be unlocked, while in other series, almost all processors can be unlocked. In some cases, it is possible to unlock not the kernel itself, but only the cache associated with it.

AMD processors that can be unlocked belong to the Athlon, Phenom and Sempron lines. Typically, unlocking is possible for cores No. 3 and 4 out of the four available cores. In some cases, you can unlock the second core of a dual-core processor, and in some cases, the 5th and 6th cores of a quad-core processor.

Features of unlocking different series of processors

Here are some examples of AMD processor series that can be unlocked, as well as their characteristic features of this process:

Athlon X2 5000+ – cores No. 3 and 4 (selected copies)
Athlon II X3 4xx series (Deneb/Rana core) – core No. 4 and cache memory
Athlon II X3 4xx series (Propus core) – core No. 4
Athlon II X4 6xx series (Deneb/Rana core) - only level 3 cache
Phenom II X2 5xx series - cores No. 3 and 4
Phenom II X3 series 7xx - core No. 4
Phenom II X4 8xx series – only 2 MB of Level 3 cache can be unlocked
Phenom II X4 650T, 840T, 960T and 970 Black Edition – cores No. 5 and 6 (selected copies)
Sempron 140/145 - core No. 2

Which chipsets support unlocking processor cores?

It should be noted that not all motherboards support the ability to unlock AMD processor cores. You will only be able to unlock cores if your BIOS supports Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) or similar technology.

ACC technology is used in the following chipsets:

GeForce 8200
GeForce 8300
nForce 720D
nForce 980
Chipsets with south bridge type SB710
Chipsets with south bridge type SB750

There are also several AMD chipsets that do not support ACC technology, but instead support similar technologies. These chipsets include chipsets with south bridges of the following type:

The method for unlocking cores on these chipsets varies depending on the motherboard manufacturer

Unblocking method

To unlock the cores, the user must access the BIOS tools. If the motherboard supports ACC technology, in most cases it is enough to find the Advanced Clock Calibration parameter in the BIOS and set it to Auto.

For motherboards from specific manufacturers, some additional steps may also be required. On ASUS motherboards, in addition to ACC, you must enable the Unleashed mode option, on MSI boards, the Unlock CPU Core option, and on NVIDIA boards, the Core Calibration option. On Gigabyte boards you need to find the EC Firmware Selection option and set it to Hybrid.

On those chipsets that do not support ACC technology, the unlocking method depends on the specific manufacturer. Let us briefly list the options that must be used in the case of each specific manufacturer:

ASUS - ASUS Core Unlocker
Gigabyte - CPU Unlock
Biostar - BIO-unlocKING
ASRock - ASRock UCC
MSI - Unlock CPU Core

Unlock check and core testing

In order to make sure that the unlocked cores of AMD processors really work, it is best to use information utilities like CPU-Z. However, even if you verify that the unlocking was successful, this does not mean that the unlocked kernels will work without problems. In order to fully check their performance, it is recommended to conduct thorough testing of all processor parameters. Also, the failure of the unlocking process may be indicated by malfunctions in the computer, and sometimes by the inability to boot it. In the latter case, you will have to resort to clearing the BIOS memory and resetting it to the factory default state (we talked about how to carry out this process in a separate article).

If new cores are found to be faulty, the user can disable them at any time using BIOS options. In addition, you should keep in mind that the operation of unlocking processor cores only works at the BIOS level, and not at the level of the processors themselves. If you install a processor with unlocked cores on another motherboard, they will still be locked.

And I would like to note one more point. Although unlocking a processor is not the same as overclocking it, however, increasing the number of working cores in your processor will automatically lead to an increase in the heat dissipation of the processor die. Therefore, perhaps in this case it makes sense to think about upgrading the processor cooling cooler.

Conclusion

Unlocking the cores of AMD processors is a simple step that can, however, help the user realize the full potential of their computer hardware. This operation is carried out by enabling the necessary BIOS options. Although unlocking cores is not always guaranteed to lead to success, however, like overclocking, it is not associated with significant risks, and can be tried in practice by any user.

Turning an Athlon II X3 425 into a full-fledged Phenom II X4 925 with brief unlocking instructions

There have always been components on the market that, with a certain approach to them, provided the user with much more performance than he paid for them. Such processors or video cards, and sometimes even motherboards, are “offcuts” from top-end products. It happens that, with a successful combination of circumstances, a budget processor can be turned into a flagship one.

Employees of the computer store PCShop Group conducted an interesting research experiment on unlocking the triple-core Athlon II X3 425 processor and turning it into a real quad-core Phenom II X4 925 chip.

As you know, AMD uses only three types of crystals to produce its processors: the four-core Deneb is made from it by cutting the L3 cache into Propus and the dual-core Regor. Athlon II X3 4XX processors can be either on a Deneb chip (the version for the Athlon II X3 4XX is called Rana) or on a Propus core.

CoreDeneb

Propus core

In other words, with some luck you can get a cutting from a Deneb crystal (Phenom II). And you can always get a physically trimmed Propus that simply doesn't have L3 cache. AMD makes no warranty regarding the performance of an unlocked cache or kernel. You buy exactly the model and with the specifications that are printed on the box or cover of the processor.

PCShop Group had at its disposal Athlon II X3 425 processors on the “correct” crystal – Deneb, which made it possible to unlock 6 MB of third-level cache memory along with the core.

After

Comparing the characteristics of the unlocked Athlon II X3 425 with the production model Phenom II X4 925, you can notice some differences:

	Athlon II X3 425	Phenom II X4 B25	Phenom II X4 925

Frequency, MHz
Number of cores
L2 cache memory size, KB
L3 cache memory size, MB
Technical process, nm

Of course, you can find fault with the fact that the frequency does not match. But this is like the popular saying about a gift horse. Although, we will return to the frequency and show that it is possible to get a more powerful processor from the Athlon II X3 425 model even than the Phenom II X4 965 BOX Black Edition (3400 MHz). Besides unlocking, overclocking has always been an effective method for increasing performance. The new Phenom II X4 B25 (Athlon II X3 425) was overclocked to a stable frequency of 3600 MHz (overclocked 33%). Thus, the Athlon II X3 425 processor became equal in speed to the not yet presented Phenom II X4 975 (3600 MHz).

Let us remind you that to unlock the processor, at a minimum, you must have a motherboard based on the SB710 or SB750 southbridge. You can also use some models of motherboards based on NVIDIA system logic for unlocking, as we have already reported in the news.

In this case, the processor was unlocked on the GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD3P motherboard. All that had to be done to convert the processor was to find the “Advanced Clock Calibration” setting in the BIOS and set it to “Auto”. Save BIOS settings and reboot your PC.

Then, in the same Advanced Clock Calibration section, you need to find “EC Firmware Selection” and select the “Hybrid” option.

Testing

Test stand:
Cooler - Zalman CNPS 9700 LED + ZM-CS4A
Motherboard – GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD3P;
RAM - GOODRAM PRO GP900D264L5
Video card - MSI Radeon HD 4890 (R4890 Cyclone);
Storage - Samsung HD252HJ;
Power supply - Seasonic S12D-850.

It is significant that the performance increase from unlocking the Athlon II X3 425 processor in the 3DMark06 test was 25% and is practically equal to the Phenom II X4 925 chip. The overclocked and unlocked Athlon II X3 425 shows excellent speed, which will become available to ordinary users only after the release of the Phenom processor II X4 975. Also notable are the test results of the SuperPi 1M, for which cache memory is important. In it, an unlocked and overclocked Athlon II X3 425 with 6 MB of third-level cache reached the 20-second mark!

Finally, we note that you should not forget that unlocking is a lottery. There are cases when the kernel is unlocked, but does not function stably. Or it may turn out that the Athlon II X3 processor is based on a Propus chip.

PCShop Group

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Features of unlocking different series of processors

Here are some examples of AMD processor series that can be unlocked, as well as their characteristic features of this process:

Athlon X2 5000+ – cores No. 3 and 4 (selected copies)
Athlon II X3 4xx series (Deneb/Rana core) – core No. 4 and cache memory
Athlon II X3 4xx series (Propus core) – core No. 4
Athlon II X4 6xx series (Deneb/Rana core) - only level 3 cache
Phenom II X2 5xx series - cores No. 3 and 4
Phenom II X3 series 7xx - core No. 4
Phenom II X4 8xx series – only 2 MB of Level 3 cache can be unlocked
Phenom II X4 650T, 840T, 960T and 970 Black Edition – cores No. 5 and 6 (selected copies)
Sempron 140/145 - core No. 2

Which chipsets support unlocking processor cores?

ACC technology is used in the following chipsets:

GeForce 8200
GeForce 8300
nForce 720D
nForce 980
Chipsets with south bridge type SB710
Chipsets with south bridge type SB750

There are also several AMD chipsets that do not support ACC technology, but instead support similar technologies. These chipsets include chipsets with south bridges of the following type:

SB810
SB850
SB950

The method for unlocking cores on these chipsets varies depending on the motherboard manufacturer

Unblocking method

ASUS - ASUS Core Unlocker
Gigabyte - CPU Unlock
Biostar - BIO-unlocKING
ASRock - ASRock UCC
MSI - Unlock CPU Core

Unlock check and core testing

Conclusion

The article will discuss the possibility of turning on the third and fourth cores, and will also present the practical results of such an action - that is, tests. After all, it’s very tempting to get a platform with a top-level processor for a hundred dollars.

Regarding, but one of the main consequences of AMD’s “poverty” is the RATIONAL use of die area.

AMD, much earlier than Intel, and even using an old technical process, managed to create the first quad-core processor on a single chip (Intel made its quads by soldering two dual-core processors).

So - the processor is done, but defects are still present from time to time, even with rich Intel (latest news - ). So AMD, for example, has suspicions that one core is not working. It is simply blocked and you buy some three or even dual core AMD Phenom II 560 X2 Socket AM3 3.3GHz 7MB 80W box or Athlon II X3 445. But physically, it is QUAD CORE!

How to unlock/enable AMD processor cores?

We save the changes and reboot - if everything goes smoothly, then the first step will pass. But only the FIRST.

Do not forget that Athlone and Phenom cores are blocked for a reason and they may be faulty. Next, you should ALWAYS test ALL processor cores for stability, for example, as described in the article.

PRACTICE

An Athlon II X3 425 processor was taken and, using the option of the cheap AsRock motherboard - Bios Unlock CPU Core, the fourth core was enabled.

This is what the processor looked like BEFORE unlocking:

As you can see, the CPU-Z utility determines that the processor has three active cores and each has half a megabyte of L2 cache.

Now we turn on the fourth core...

Disappointment awaited. The first test revealed that the enabled kernel was not working. It was there, it was functioning, but it malfunctioned under load. If you look closely at the picture, you will also see artifacts in the desktop image. But something else is noteworthy - the Athlon II X3 processor has turned not into a quad-core athlon, but into Phenom II X4!!!

The screenshot clearly shows from the utility’s readings that not only the core is enabled, but also the extra 6MB of third-level L3 cache.

I decided not to give up and go to the end. Through trial and error, it was revealed that the PHYSICALLY faulty blocked core is the second in a row. What if the L3 cache is fully functional? To test this claim, the processor was unlocked again, but the second core was disabled from the application manager.

Let's take the test...

The test worked flawlessly. And at the same time, we also found out the practical benefits of a large cache. In the 3D Mark 2006 test, its presence, all other things being equal, added +10% in some places. This is certainly not an extra core, but it is still an increase. Smart motherboard manufacturers even provide for the simultaneous disabling of faulty cores especially for such cases.

That is, first we forcibly unblock everything that can be unblocked, and then we block what is inoperative)))))))))))))))

There is still a fly in the ointment in all this. Even though the cache and cores are not active, such processors still have a large die size and get noticeably hot. Take this into account.

WHAT PROCESSORS ARE SUITABLE FOR UNLOCKING?

Triple-core Atlons and two-triple-core Phenoms Athlon-II-X3 and Phenom-II-X2-3 are suitable. There is also a rumor that some quad-core models are unlocked into six-core ones, but there is no such experience yet. Then look for Phenoms on the Thuban core and you may very well be lucky.

CONCLUSION
In general, in this case I was unlucky, because I could have come across a 100% working copy. In this case, from a processor costing $65, I would get a quad-core Phenom II X4 costing $150. Agree - this lottery is worth it. And what’s especially pleasing is that even cheap motherboards can do this.