Why does intel only unlock certain processors for overclocking?

[backup_account]

Why not unlock all?

 

[watzup_ken]

Product segregation so that they can make more money and protect the more expensive chip sales from being cannibalized by the lower end chips.

Imagine I can buy a cheap quad core and OC it to match a higher end chip. Then nobody will buy their high end chip anymore.

 

[Entry Level PC]

$$$.
Pay $30 for 100mhz more.
Pay another $30 to OC.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

If you were Intel, what will you think?

 

[backup_account]

If you were Intel, what will you think?

I think I won't be as MoneyFace =p, maybe that is why I'm not intel

 

[lalalalalala]

The politically correct answer would be to protect their brand name as the supposedly lousier chips (e.g the ones along the side of the wafer) are locked at a lower clock speed so you won't try and oc it and kpkb when it fails

Sent from OnePlus A0001 using GAGT

 

[MoneyFace =p]

I think I won't be as MoneyFace =p, maybe that is why I'm not intel

Bingo! You get that...

/milkahmilk

 

[ykgoh]

 

[Piezoq]

Why not unlock all?

a typical chip has a billion or more transistors. the numbers are so large that it's nigh impossible to find a single chip without defect. due to the chemistry involved, every chip will vary in performance, depending on the number of defects it has.

what will you do if you have a product that's non-uniform? for example, a boatload of fish. well, we try to sort them. the obvious categories are type and size/weight. we can then price each category separately and optimize profit.

chips are sorted into bins, from poor to high performance. those on the low end of the spectrum have some cores disabled and/or clock speed limited. these chips, which otherwise wouldn't have passed muster at the higher end, are able to work as advertised as inferior cousins in the product line.

only the best chips are binned as oc-capable and its a feature we pay for. so its not just marketing but also semiconductor physics and chemistry at work.

 

[pwongkk]

a typical chip has a billion or more transistors. the numbers are so large that it's nigh impossible to find a single chip without defect. due to the chemistry involved, every chip will vary in performance, depending on the number of defects it has.

what will you do if you have a product that's non-uniform? for example, a boatload of fish. well, we try to sort them. the obvious categories are type and size/weight. we can then price each category separately and optimize profit.

chips are sorted into bins, from poor to high performance. those on the low end of the spectrum have some cores disabled and/or clock speed limited. these chips, which otherwise wouldn't have passed muster at the higher end, are able to work as advertised as inferior cousins in the prduct line.

only the best chips are binned as oc-capable and its a feature we pay for. so its not just marketing but also semiconductor physics and chemistry at work.

In simple terms, it's to sell every die on the wafer rather than scrapping those that does not meet specifications.

Chips manufactured as 1024mb cache, but may not be able to achieve are sold as 512mb.

Buying chips are purely on luck. The whole manufacturing process goes through hundreds of steps and dozens of machines. No 2 machines of the same type can be calibrated to the exact specification.