posted
Assuming you have a 2300 MHz processor I suppose it was graded like that because one or more of the cores could only work reliable at that speed.
Anyone tested the cores individually like core one is good at 3000 core two 2900 core three 2800 and core four is the grading factor at 2300.
Maybe you can get luck and have three cores at 3000 MHz and one is holding back your overall overclock.
Is it worthy doing this?
I think that something like that is what the Phenom three cores is all about, one of the cores (the L2 cache?) is so bad that they just disable it.
Any ideas?
Posts: 1894 | From: Rio de Janeiro | Registered: Jan 2004
posted
Interesting thought. I'm not sure how to disable a specific core easily, although there are registers that the BIOS could write to, to disable 1 or more cores.
As far as I know CPU's are graded by power dissapation at a specific speed. That is why many CPU's are easily capable of a 50% overclock, but at some point they do run into a max speed and I'm sure the 4 cores are not exactly the same, even though they are monolithic...
The Phenom is too complex for it's own good. It has 4 independently controlled clocks, it has multipliers and dividers for both North Bridge and CPU Speed, along with dividers for memory speed. There is onboard voltage regulators and many other things never seen before on a CPU...
After playing with a 9500 and writing at least 50 mod BIOS for the device, I'm convinced it's problem is the Motherboard manufacturers and their BIOS Engineers don't understand it 100%. There are reports of many Motherboard brands doing crazy things because the BIOS Engineer evidently doesn't understand the complexity of the chip.
For the 1st 2-3 weeks of running the device I was finding 202 to be my maximum. I recently posted a errorless Memtest run at 11x260, although the system hangs in Windows... At 11x270, the system is hanging in one of the POST screens.
So we're all waiting for a BIOS that unleashes the Phenom's true capability. I'm sure a revision or 2 of the CPU will help also.
Will the Phenom ever trounce the Intel Quad? I don't know. Intel is now light years in the lead, but the run-off I did between the AMD 6400 and Intel E6850 showed AMD certainly has the capability....
-------------------- Too Many Computers,... Too Little Time ..... Com'on ???..! Posts: 27998 | From: Fire Island, NY | Registered: Feb 2003
posted
I did ask if it was worthy doing this, and I was thinking that many applications don’t use the cores simultaneously, so if you could overclock your best core(s) there would be an advantage like running only those in a given application.
Those all new videocard and games are demanding faster CPUs so anything faster would be a god sent miracle to good performance.
I was wondering given the actual slowness of new software to take advantage of all cores witch would be the smarter choice today, go for a dual core that can easily do 3200 MHz or get the slower Phenom, remember that a Phenon 2300 does not equate to a cpu running at 9200 MHZ so which is better, run four application simultaneously at a lower pace or fly one or two at a faster rate.
Something to think about.
Posts: 1894 | From: Rio de Janeiro | Registered: Jan 2004
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Com'on ???..!
