What exactley is unlocking a processor?

[soundfx4]

Hey, i am just wander what exactley the idea of unlocking a CPU is. Is it connecting the brides, or disconnecting the bridges. From what I have read, it sounds like connecting them, but I just want a little more detail so I can have a real good understanding of unlocking CPUs. Thanks!

[FRANK]

With 200+ posts, I'm sure that you've seen this reply several times. Here it is again,

It would be in your best interest to spend some time in the "Beginners Guides" a link can be found on the front page of this site. In there you will find several useful articles of which there are no less than three that deal with this very question that you ask. If you spend some time gathering as much information as you can, you will have a better understanding as to how the various parts of your computer work with each other. Once you get this understanding you will find it much easier to understand the cause and effect of the modifications that you do in the "black art" of overclocking.

Good Luck!

[Arkaine23]

To answer your question, unlocking is connecting the L1 bridges. By doing so, you may change the CPU clock multiplyer. For your XP 1600+, and mine for that matter, the multiplyer is locked at 10.5

10.5 x 133 FSB = 1396 MHz

So unlocking the cpu you could get:

11 x 133 = 1463 MHz or the same as an XP 1700+
11.5 x 133 = 1529 MHz or the same as an XP 1800+
etc.

Adjusting the cpu multiplyer allows for larger overclocks, but it stresses the cpu quite a bit more than adjusting the FSB. It creates more heat, and it requires more cpu voltage to be stable. So it's not a really good idea if you've just got a Volcano 2 heatsink. Also, changing the FSB overclocks all of your components and improves system performance overall, while adjusting the multiplyer only affects the cpu.

Also, unlocking XP's is kinda difficult. I haven't done mine for fear of ruining it. But I have unlocked an Athlon T-bird 1000, and that was really easy.

There are guides on the front page about unlocking various AMD cpu's.

[Sonny]

Originally posted by Arkaime23
Adjusting the cpu multiplyer allows for larger overclocks, but it stresses the cpu quite a bit more than adjusting the FSB. It creates more heat, and it requires more cpu voltage to be stable. So it's not a really good idea if you've just got a Volcano 2 heatsink. Also, changing the FSB overclocks all of your components and improves system performance overall, while adjusting the multiplyer only affects the cpu.Where did this information come from? You need to check your sources. Unlocking the multiplier does not affect the amount of overclock but the ability to dictate the possible combinations on how to achieve a higher clockspeed. The amount of VCore is dictated by the overall clockspeed. If you had 10 X 133 = 1330 as default & then clock it to 10 X 166 = 1660 the VCore required will be the same as 12.5 X 133 = 1660. Clockspeed will dictate the amount of VCore needed no matter how you decide to O/C.;)

[soundfx4]

Ok, I see. I knew that it unlocked the multiplier, but I just wasn't sure if it was connecting the bridges, or disconnecting. Thanks for you help all!

[soundfx4]

Originally posted by FRANK
With 200+ posts, I'm sure that you've seen this reply several times. Here it is again,

It would be in your best interest to spend some time in the "Beginners Guides" a link can be found on the front page of this site. In there you will find several useful articles of which there are no less than three that deal with this very question that you ask. If you spend some time gathering as much information as you can, you will have a better understanding as to how the various parts of your computer work with each other. Once you get this understanding you will find it much easier to understand the cause and effect of the modifications that you do in the "black art" of overclocking.

Good Luck!

I'd rather get live information instead of a guide on unlocking the XP processors, since it isn't as easy as past AMD CPUs.

[nick_woods]

If you want to know what can go wrong and also whether you can salvage it, read my posts here http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57460 and here http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58455

It can be done with care but you can damage the cpu if you get it wrong

Regards

Nick

[soundfx4]

Ok, thx