[rk15000]

So I have an AMD 8650 X3 1st gen Phenom and I read somewhere that it can be difficult, but is possible, to unlock the 4th core which is disabled from the factory. The possibility of getting a four core system for tri-core money is intriguing. Anyone have success in getting this to work? :-)

This is my mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128376

And finally the CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103253

[Marshmallow64]

I got mine unlocked but it was unstable no matter what settings I tried it at. After a few days of tinkering I concluded that I must have had a faulty 4th core to begin with. =( Make sure you have the bios version that allows you to unlock and good luck with yours!

[Decious]

As Marshmallow64 said, make sure you BIOS has the unlock feature and cross your fingers. I have Unlocked my 4th core on my X3 435 and it seems stable so far; only problem I've had so far is the loss of coretemp monitoring once the 4th is unlocked.

[col_sanders]

There is no native X3 design yet so they are most often chips that were destine to be an X4 but one of the cores was defective. While it may work it may run efficiently, produce more heat, or consume more power. That said, there are lucky ones out there that are simply just an X4 that had one core disabled to meet market demand. If your motherboard supports it go for it you've got nothing to lose.