Unlocking fx cores. Unlock hidden blocks and all CPU cores
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 one 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 several 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.
Do 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 choosing the right configuration and selecting components specifically for your task.
Have a spring mood!
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.
AMD processors. Software tools that can be used to perform this rather complex operation will also be considered. In addition to this, practical advice will be given as to which of them is most optimal to apply in each situation. In addition to this, a list of CPUs relevant for this manipulation will also be provided.
What CPU models are suitable?
Before we learn how to unlock AMD processor cores, let's look at CPU models suitable for this manipulation. This list includes the following families of chips from this eminent computer equipment manufacturer:
- Septron microprocessors can be converted from single-core to dual-core. This allows you to increase, albeit slightly, the speed of your personal computer.
- The 2- and 3-module Athlon II line of computing devices can be converted to a quad-core CPU. In turn, some models of microprocessors of this family can be converted into a similar Phenom II series chip with a three-level cache memory system. Accordingly, the speed of the computer will also increase.
- Low-end Phenom II chips, with a successful set of circumstances, like the previously reviewed chips from the Athlon II line, can be converted from dual- and triple-core models to quad-block ones. Again, the speed of work increases due to the increase in code processing modules.
All previously stated transformations are relevant for the AM3 platform. Later AMD sockets no longer support this operation.
Implementation methods
Now let's figure out how to unlock AMD processor cores using software. This operation can be implemented in two ways. One of them is using the BIOS system. This method can only be used on new versions of motherboards in which the option was added to the ACC/UCC menu. The second option for enabling unused hardware resources comes down to using special utilities. This method of activating cores is available on any motherboard.
BIOS. Usage algorithm
Now let's figure out how to unlock the cores of AMD Athlon processors and other chips within the AM3 socket using the BIOS system. Again, this method is only applicable to those motherboards that were released in 2012 or later. A special ACC item (for AMD chipsets) or UCC (in case of using a system logic set from NVidia) was added to the BIOS system menu in each of them.
In both the first and second cases, the implementation algorithm is as follows:
- When you turn on the computer system, you need to press the F2 button when the test window appears in order to enter the BIOS.
- Next, you need to use the navigation keys to go to the menu item called Advanced and open it using the “Enter” key.
- At the next stage, we find the sub-item ACC / UCC, move the pointer to it using the same navigation keys.
- Then using the PgUp and PgDn buttons we set it to the Enabled state.
- Save the changes. To do this, just press F10. Next, you will be asked to save the changes. We respond positively to it.
- After this, a reboot will occur. Next, you need to check the stability of the PC after the manipulations performed using a method that will be described later.
If the computer is operating unstable, then using microswitch JP1 on the motherboard we return the BIOS parameters to their original state.
Specialized software
This method is most often used on older versions of motherboards. But it is also applicable to their newer modifications. That is, it is quite universal. Like the previous method, this method allows you to turn a low-performance Athlon II series chip into a high-performance AMD Phenom 2 X2 processor, for example.
Each motherboard manufacturer offered its own utility for these purposes. For example, Gigabyte recommended using the CPU Unlock program. It could be found on the motherboard CD of the same manufacturer.
Functionality check
This review described how to unlock AMD Phenom processor cores and more. After performing this operation, it is strongly recommended to check the stability and reliability of the computer.
To do this, at the first stage you need to install the specialized program CPU-Z. Then run it and check the microprocessor parameters in detail.
Next, you need to install the specialized AIDA64 utility and use it to carry out a comprehensive scan of your PC. If the computer starts to become unstable, then reset the BIOS settings to their original state using the same JP1 switch. You can also try to return the system software to its original state using the integrated operating system program.
Relevance of the operation
This review described in detail the main ways to unlock AMD processor cores. FX - 4300 and other newer CPUs intended for installation in the AM3+ socket no longer allowed such an operation. That is, it is only within the computer platform that this practice has become most widespread.
Again, these microprocessor models were relevant in 2010 - 2013. Now this platform is outdated. Therefore, it will definitely not be possible to achieve a radical improvement in performance by activating additional cores.
Conclusion
This review article was devoted to how to unlock AMD processor cores within the AM3 computing platform. At the time of the appearance of such chips, this operation contributed to the growth in sales of previously discussed CPU modifications. Now it is outdated and not suitable for the implementation of high-performance computers.
The most efficient way to activate disabled resources is to use special utilities. But it is easier to do this using the BIOS system. Therefore, if possible, we use the latter method. If the computer has an older version of the motherboard installed, then you can use a more complex method, which is based on specialized software.
Many users have heard more than once that a computer that is not fast enough can be “overclocked,” that is, its performance can be increased. For example, a medium-power computer with a dual-core processor can be turned into a quad-core one. But, inexperienced users do not always succeed and instead of the desired result, you may see a blue screen, called the “screen of death”.
In this case, you need to return the BIOS settings by restarting the computer, but the unlocking process will have to be stopped. Unlocking AMD processor cores has one goal - increasing PC performance with the same stability. But, adding two cores does not always increase performance and, as a side effect, system malfunctions may begin.
Is there any point in unlocking?
You can actually achieve an increase in the number of cores in some AMD Phenom 2 and Athlon 2 models. According to laboratory testing results, of all the processors subject to the unlocking process, the Phenom 2 X3 720 and Athlon 2 X3 440 were the best.
Considering that all processors with three cores were quite easily overclocked to quad-core and remained stable, in general, they showed absolutely identical results. To put it more clearly, there is not much point in the unlocking process, since adding an additional core did not affect the performance figures. Additionally, the AMD Phenom 2 X3 720 processor experienced a system crash during the unlocking process and failed.
The best results were shown by processors from the AMD Phenom 2 X2 555 BE line. Thanks to the high capabilities of the GIGABYTE GA-890XA-UD3 motherboard, very good processor unlocking rates were recorded. Performance has more than doubled, the dual-core AMD Phenom 2 X2 555 BE has become a quad-core AMD Phenom 2 X4 955 BE.
Despite the fact that the overclocking process is quite simple, it still requires certain skills. Before unlocking the cores of AMD processors, it is recommended to carefully review the reports of laboratories conducting similar studies and compare the numbers of yours and the tested processors.
The more matches there are in the marking, the higher the likelihood of a positive overclocking result. In addition, the manufacturer may block defective processor cores. In this case, it is not advisable to perform unlocking, since the result may be unpredictable.
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.
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 it 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:
- SB810
- SB850
- SB950
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, 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 such as 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, nevertheless, like overclocking, it is not associated with significant risks, and can be tried in practice by any user.