KillSh0t 10 Posted December 22, 2010 Hey guy's... I dont know too much about processors or what not but I know enough to get by as I recently bought a phenomII X2 and found I can unlock it to 4... Now my question isnt how to unlock, that part I figured out... My question is why does it seem that when running X4 I Blue screen CTD? It only happens when playing the game with 4 cores... I'm assuming thats whats doing it as I never blue screen CTD....just get the normal crash(s). Do I need drivers for the x4? Something I might need to adjust in settings for A2-OA? I'm using a GTS250/drivers updated PhenomII black edition WINXP 2 gigs of RAM. Any help is appreciated as the games does seem to run alot smoother on X4...it just crashes on me after a while :/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
no use for a name 0 Posted December 23, 2010 (edited) The way it works is that basically they both use the same manufacturing process; but out of thousands and thousands of CPU's there's going to be some bad ones. Sometimes they just disable perfectly good cores; but if they're bad then instead of throwing out the whole chip; they test it and then disable any bad cores and sell them as an X2 or X3 and drop the price. First thing is update your BIOS. If it still crashes after that then chances are one or even both of the disabled cores are bad. It could also be a heat issue...if you're using the stock cooler that came with the CPU chances are it's not made for the extra heat of 2 extra cores, so watch your temps. It's also a good idea to do a little research: http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/535501-official-amd-k10-5-core-cache.html I definitely saw a performance increase after going from a Core 2 to an X4 965; although not any huge FPS gain, just a lot smoother gameplay. Edited December 23, 2010 by No Use For A Name Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KillSh0t 10 Posted December 23, 2010 (edited) thanks alot person with no name lol I'll do the bios update... And yeah I read a little about chances for getting a bad core...would be my luck lol but it still runs fine with two. I'm thinking it might be a heat issue as you suggested...I just replaced my M/B into a stock case along with the GTS250....not a whole lot of room left over and even with the two extra fans I have it still gets a bit warm in there. Think I'll just stick to the x2 for right now until I can get a new case and upgrade a few more things... Appreciate the help! Edit : and I just read the link you posted...I can get it to unlock the 4 cores, does that mean all 4 are good? Edited December 23, 2010 by KillSh0t Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thr0tt 12 Posted December 23, 2010 X4 here purchased as an X4 and no CTD's so sounds like the unlocking works but the reason they are locked is due to not being reliable etc and its hit or miss, unlucky. :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
celery 8 Posted December 23, 2010 I'm happy with my x3. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
metalcraze 290 Posted December 23, 2010 I have Phenom II X2 550 with all cores unlocked. It works well for me for a long time now and with a stock cooler temps are 43-45 *C at most (haven't tried to OC it though). "Heat issue" is the last thing that can be at fault here. First as the noname user wrote - BIOS update. You haven't mentioned your Mobo manufacturer and model but if it's Asus BIOS update is a must. I also hope it's no less than AMD750 chipset. ASUS specifically made BIOS releases with a much more stable unlocking. If that doesn't help - increase CPU voltage (read that thread at overclock net for tips on an adequate increase), when you unlocked cores your mobo may still push enough power for 2 cores but not for 4. If that doesn't help then it's most likely a faulty core - try enabling only 3 cores disabling cores 0,1,2,3 one by one. There is a chance you still can have a stable 3 core CPU. I'm happy with my x3. It's a quad-core CPU too ;) Sometimes they just disable perfectly good cores; Sometimes? Man it seems like it was a deliberate marketing trick. 550 was like their most popular Phenom II. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KillSh0t 10 Posted December 23, 2010 The MOB model is a M4A88t-M I seriously cant remember when I installed it if I updated the BIOS or not :/ Is there an easy way I can check the date maybe? And I did a bit of looking around for BIOS updates and found a couple, not 100% sure as to which I would install and kinda sketchy about guessing as I do know messing with BIOS can be a bad thing if one isnt 100% confident. Was a nice price for the CPU and after finding out I might be able to get a lil more bang for the buck I was curious to see what it could do. My specs are... WINXP ASUS MOB M4A88T-M 2gigs (generic RAM) BFG-GTS-250 Stock power supply stock HD needs some serious TLC :/ Maybe if someone could help point me in the right direction for the BIOS then I'll go from there checking to see if it still crashes with 4, then ill drop to 3... Appreciate the help!! And thanks Molle! ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
celery 8 Posted December 23, 2010 It's a quad-core CPU too ;) No, the fourth core in my processor is dead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
metalcraze 290 Posted December 24, 2010 That's too bad. The MOB model is a M4A88t-M That should be ok. To check which version of BIOS you got google for and install CPU-Z and click 'Mainboard' tab. You will have your BIOS version and date there. I myself use BIOS update from 26 Nov 2009 (but for M4A77TD Pro) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
