Phenom 2 X2 550, how well does this unlock to x4

[norrisb]

I searched the forum, obviously the search function isnt the greatest if you could point me to a thread with info on this it would be much appreciated. Basically I would like to know more or less what % of this processor successful unlocks to a working X4 processor.

 

[bige420]

Not sure about the specific percentage but if you read through the reviews on newegg, it looks like a lot of people are successfully unlocking the extra cores with no problems.

 

[norrisb]

Any other opinions?

 

[bige420]

Actually, the processor does have something to do with it. Alot of the time if a core is corrupt or damaged, then it will be disabled and turned into an X3 or an X2 phenom II. Turning those cores on could cause instability on you system. The only thing the mobo has to do with it is if it supports Advance Clock Calibration.

 

[mindless728]

^but a lot of the times they bin a perfectly good chip so they don't over saturate the top end market

 

[IzzyCraft]

The instablity shoudl be very noticable just judge how well you can oc it unlocked vs locked.

 

[xaos1000]

I unlocked my 550 BE last night successfully after installing a new board. I was using it as an x2 overclocked to 3.7ghz. I unlocked cores at normal core speed then started bumping up until it locked. Turned it down two notches and ended up at 3.7ghz with all 4 cores! I heard after unlocking cores you can't get the same OC speeds but for me it was not true. Your mileage may vary. Some people seem to have a lot of problems with them.