Did I actually unlock L3 on Athlon ii X4 630?

[iMammoth]

I'm pretty new at the whole CPU business.
About a month or two ago I got into it OCing my 630.
I have it @ a stable 3.5GHz (i think).
But, I have a question.
In my MSI BIOS I enabled unlock CPU cores and turn ACC to auto.
When I booted up and pulled up CPU-Z it now shows an L3, did I actually enable this or am I delusional? haha!
Thanks in advance for any help!

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[clutchc]

According to CPU-Z, you did. But I doubt it is reading correctly. It also says the processor is a Propus. The Propus has a disabled core but no L3 cache. It is simply an X4 Athlon II with one core disabled. The Deneb X3's have the 4th core AND L3 cache available, because they are based on Phenom II's not Athlon II's.
http/www.cpu-world.com/info/AMD/Unlocking_cores_and_L3.html

I would say that the unlocking has confused CPU-Z. Either it is mis-reading the L3 cache or the 'Propus'. As the chart in CPU World shows, if your processor ends in "AC" it is a Deneb w/cache and core. If it ends in "AD" it is a Propus w/core only.

 

[iMammoth]

According to CPU-Z, you did. But I doubt it is reading correctly. It also says the processor is a Propus. The Propus has a disabled core but no L3 cache. It is simply an X4 Athlon II with one core disabled. The Deneb X3's have the 4th core AND L3 cache available, because they are based on Phenom II's not Athlon II's.
http/www.cpu-world.com/info/AMD/Unlocking_cores_and_L3.html

I would say that the unlocking has confused CPU-Z. Either it is mis-reading the L3 cache or the 'Propus'. As the chart in CPU World shows, if your processor ends in "AC" it is a Deneb w/cache and core. If it ends in "AD" it is a Propus w/core only.

I also downloaded Sandra Lite 2013 from SiSoftware and it says that I have an L3 cache as well. Could it be confusing CPU-Z and Sandra??? Thanks for your response btw. I accidentally opened two of the same threads, the other thread has the two pictures. You're always helpful!

 

[clutchc]

I would have to say, yes. It must be fooling them both, because it is either a Phenom II X4 with core and L3 disabled (Deneb), or an Athlon II X4 with core disabled (Propus). The Propus die was never built with an L3 cache to the best of my knowledge. You could contact AMD with the info and see what they say, but I doubt you have a L3 cache... or you don't have a Propus.

Next time you are changing the thermal paste, look at the markings on the CPU's heat spreader. That will tell you for sure what you have.

 

[iMammoth]

Ok thanks! Is there any other sure fire way to test for an L3 cache other than to contact AMD?
And an off topic question if you dont mind answer, do you know which AM3 CPU would be best for gaming? I know the Phenom 965 is good but idk how relevant it is these days. I plan on going to an FX 8350, or an I5 or I7 3570/3770k, but for the meantime I would like to buy a more budget friendly cpu that would work better with my GTX 660Ti than my Athlon.
Preferably strictly gaming performance as I don't do much else on my desktop rig.
Games like BF3 mainly online. My Athlon overclocked get me 30-60fps on the 64 player maps but can drop below 30 at time especially with the explosions.
Thanks a million for your input!

 

[clutchc]

The FX-8350 would of course be the fastest gaming CPU AMD has. But the FX-6300/FX-6350 is right behind it for considerably less money (and occasionally on sale at Newegg/Amazon). I just built a FX-6300 rig with a GTX 660 (non-ti) factory OC card. I ran the 6300 at a safe and mild 4.0GZ and was impressed at its gaming ability at 1920x1080. All the games I have could be run at their max settings (except Metro 2033). Both processors are faster at gaming than the PhIIX4 965BE. But the PhII X4 965BE is going dirt cheap now, so that is a tempting point too.

If you just want to keep what you have now, but get the most bang from it, the PhII X4 965BE would be the most cost effective upgrade. But they're not going to be around much longer. It can easily O/C in the mid 4GB range and has the extra L3 cache. But it requires a 125W board and maybe a newer BIOS than you have now.