Four cores at the price of two! Unlock AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition!

The AMD Phenom II X2 555 BE is the fastest dual core processor available from AMD. This processor has very good potential as a dual core but what makes it special is the fact that it is actually a quad core processor with two cores disabled.

...........

(Don’t forget to subscribe via RSS feeds or E-mail, you can clear your doubts in the comment section below.)

.....................

The two cores can be unlocked and made to function with a basic BIOS tweak provided that the two extra cores aren't physically damaged. With current stats it can be said that there are 50% chances of a successful unlock. Thus, it is a very good buy as you get a chance of winning two more cores for free!

................

Method to Unlock:

• First, you need a motherboard with the following settings available: EC Firmware Selection and Advanced Clock Calibration. I used Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H.
• Search for the two aforementioned options, make a note of original settings.
• Set EC Firmware Selection to Hybrid and Advanced Clock Calibration to Auto.
• Save and exit.

.............

That should do it, now your processor will be listed as AMD Phenom II X4 B55. If you successfully boot up into the operating system run some benchmark for an hour to check if the extra cores are functioning properly. However, if you can't boot up or face any other stability issue then you should understand that the extra cores are malfunctioning and you need to reset the settings you changed back to the original and use it as a dual core. You really have nothing to lose, this processor is good enough as a dual core and anything extra just adds to the goodness.

..........

Note: Don't buy this processor hoping to get two extra cores to avoid being disappointed. Buy it as a dual core and if you get a quad core it will be your luck but don't feel bad if you don't.