Cpu Reviews

The netbook has seen tons of success as a low-cost solution for the casual PC user and during time of economic crisis, consumers are benefiting from Atom-based notebooks more than ever.

Intel’s Atom processor rules the roost when it comes to netbooks. While AMD isn’t even trying to go head to head with Intel’s miserly CPU, VIA’s hoping to capture a piece of the pie with its Nano processor.

There has been some renewed excitement over AMD’s triple-core Phenom X3 processors after at least one user claims to have been able to unlock the fourth core. The post appeared on Korean website Playwares.com backed by what appear to be legitimately looking screenshots. Using a Bisotar TA790GX motherboard, all it supposedly took was changing the "Advanced Clock Calibration" in the BIOS to ‘Auto,’ which reportedly unlocks the disabled core.

Citing un-named motherboard makers, DigiTimes says the report has caused an upsurge in demand for AMD’s Phenom X3 chips. Those same sources also described the credibility of unlocking reports as very high, but cautioned that it might only apply to specific batches of CPUs and not the whole tri-core lineup.

Not surprisingly, AMD isn’t commenting on whether or not the disabled cores can be re-enabled. And until we see it for ourselves or from a reputable source, we remain skeptical that it can be done.

Image Credit: Playwares.com

Earlier this week, Intel sent out a document that hoped to dissuade system builders from pairing Nvidia’s Ion platform with the Atom processor. Today, Nvidia fired back with arguments of why Ion is the best solution for the Atom.

Those who have been keeping a close eye on the Ion (geddit, eye-on the… oh nevermind), will know that there’s been a small feud brewing between Nvidia and Intel.