AMD rig

[NoobieOCer]

my mate needs a quad core system for some hfss antenna simulation software to speed things up

so i know some amd cpus have locked cores and the bios can unlock them i just got a few questions.

1) as amd locked these because their not fully functional does this mean the core can make the computer unstable?

2) can dual cores have 4 cores in them or is it usually can only unlock 1 more core?

3) which chipset should i get for a small over clock but max stability as its for work stuff.

4) are there any specific cpus i may want to look at? im looking for the cheapest quad core possible.


thanks.

 

[dandos23]

If you need a quad core then get a quad core. Don't get a 2-3 core cpu thinking that it will unlock because it might not and you wont know till you have it.

 

[95thrifles]

1) Yes unlocking the additional cores is not guaranteed and can make it unstable
2) Yes dual cores can (potentially) unlock the 2 additional cores to become 4 cores
3) One of the newer chipsets (870/880/890) with the 850 South Bridge, be careful though, some(normally the cheaper ones) still use the older 710
4)The Black Edition Phenoms tend to have the best chance as these are the higher binned CPUs anyway, so look at a 555 if you decide to go this route

However as you state its for work stuff and stability is important you may be best just looking at getting an Athlon x4 in first place, similar sort of price to the Phenom x2, go over to anandtech and check out their benchmark suite to compare the chips speeds