Tex Arcana
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2002
- Messages
- 227
Cue hack in three... two... one...
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It's possible that Intel is doing this in response to AMD's upcoming Bulldozer based CPUs. If there's anyone who knows what AMD is cooking, it's certainly Intel.3 words.
F that shit.
Its straight bush leauge, making paid software unlocks for hardware in order to make more money off something you already own is like what was stated, DLC. AMD adds value to their low end processors because you have a decent chance to unlock a 2 or 3 core into 4, as well as in some cases, unlocking L3 cache. Heres hoping that bulldozer is a complete success.
Except Joe six pack knows a guy like me, and joe six pack would rather save his money for things like a six pack of beer. So he'll just have someone like me download that "I7_1GHZ_UPGRADE_RAZOR1911.torrent" and speed up his machine for him.except that none of those features mean anything to joe six pack....he cant even spell them
if you give him a scratch card he can buy at walmart....well.....he's been buying those for years and can handle it
Except Joe six pack knows a guy like me, and joe six pack would rather save his money for things like a six pack of beer. So he'll just have someone like me download that "I7_1GHZ_UPGRADE_RAZOR1911.torrent" and speed up his machine for him.
Everyone knows a computer guy.
why would intel "lock" new features in their processors in the first place?
Yeah its not like AMD would do something ridiculous like take a perfectly fine working 4 core processor and sell it as a 3 core processor! Imagine the outrage that would happen is AMD was purposefully crippling quads cores to sell them as triple cores until someone unlocked them.
Oh wait...
Just one more reason to hate Intel. Being an AMD fanboy I dont need that many but a few extra cant hurt.
I can see it now.
"Your computer running slow? Click here and enter your credit card number to unlock faster speeds!"
Intel.. or ID Thief..you decide
/exaggeration off
Maybe, but probably not. The expected life for a chip before upgrading is only 1~3 years, so unlike, say, DVD or Blu-ray, there won't be plenty of time to break the encryption before the hack becomes irrelevant.I actually like this. It means that instead of them cutting bits out in the fabrication process, they'll just use some kind of software lockout. That will be a lot easier for hackers to hack.
So this is geared towards store bought computers, from the looks of the linked article, and not retail chips right?
If that's the case I don't really see it as a big deal. Typically a store bought PC really can't be overclocked much anyways cause of locked out features on the MB. So if the average Joe can buy a card to unlock their CPU to be faster than it was on there gateway, Dell or HP then that's better than having to buy a new PC again or try to use other software to OC it some.
As long as they leave the retail chips alone then I don't really see the big deal.
And then they inevitably end up with a virus infection.. oh, the horrors! O_OExcept Joe six pack knows a guy like me, and joe six pack would rather save his money for things like a six pack of beer. So he'll just have someone like me download that "I7_1GHZ_UPGRADE_RAZOR1911.torrent" and speed up his machine for him.
i see this differently, i see it as a smart business move that is ahead of its time
i can see in the near future they will only release a handful of CPU's for each socket, lets say 10 models instead of 30 or whatever they have these days, the number of levels will be limited by voltage binning, cant sell a "model 7" as a model 7 unless it is able to run at the possible unlock speeds at the given physical core's VID, so this means everything gets binned extra carefully
you can buy one and use it as it is, OR, you can pay a little extra to unlock more performance
it will be tiered, so that the different performance levels stack up until you get to the next stock cpu performance level, they wont overlap
this will be marketed as saving you money and allowing you to better find a cpu that suits your performance.
example:
you can buy model 7 for $100. if it works as-is for your use, great! but what if it doesn't? in the past you had to buy a new CPU! making your old purchase obsolete and wasted money! why buy a new car when all it needs is some aftermarket performance accessories to make it even faster without the hassle of the old way of "upgrading the cpu, motherboard and memory" which was costly and unnecessary!
now if six pack joe buys a computer, it works fine, but then Windows 11 comes out or some new game comes out that joe wants to play. he loads it up but its a little slow. he goes to the support page where the software company shows the "minimum requirements" and "recommended requirements". the cpu he bought 6 months ago meets the minimum, but all he has to do is drop by Walmart and pick up an upgrade code to bump his cpu up into the recommended territory
now joes game runs smoother, required no tech knowledge, required no tools and it was as painless as a trip to Walmart. (if you are me thats still pretty friggin painful but to the vast majority of people thats fine)
When process yields are low, nobody minds that chips with defective cores or cache are sold as lower end models. A Phenom X4 sells for 100% over cost, and Athlon X2 might only sell for 15% over cost.
When process yields are high, every chip could be made into a Phenom X4 but there is still demand for Athlon X2 for use in low-end systems. For market segmentation reasons some chips are made into Athlon X2s, so that AMD can sell more chips and make more overall profit.
To prevent remarking and other arbitrage, the disabling mechanism is a combination of shorting some fuses (permanent damage.) In addition, a code on the CPU instructs the BIOS which cores on the CPU are usable.
Intel has developed a software system that can make a static change to the CPU's configuration. "The upgrade enables changes to the firmware (driven by the Intel® Active Management Technology Management Engine in the chipset) that in turn modify the hardware."
The actual mechanism is not described but I guess that the chipset is shorting some fuses on the CPU to *enable* the cache and hyperthreading.
This means that it is no longer necessary for the CPU manufacturers to permanently limit a CPU for marketing reasons. It's the same business model, just with more flexibility.
This is a positive change. It's better for the environment. If we can upgrade our CPUs there will be fewer CPUs created. If a consumer doesn't want to give Intel the full profit margin upfront, the consumer can pay later for it.
If people hate the idea of buying CPUs with locked features, they are not obligated to do so. I recently even paid about $10 extra to buy a Phenom X2 965 Black Edition with no multiplier locks. But I do have a $300 i7 920 with a locked multiplier, and a $140 Pentium D 905 with locked hyperthreading, and a $50 Celeron D with a locked cache, and a $230Geforce GTX 470 with locked cores, and even a $ i486sx-33 with a locked math coprocessor. Some of those locked bits actually would have worked; I'll never know. I do know that I got what I paid for.
Of the $50 upgrade fee, maybe $35 will go to the reseller and $15 to Intel. We will only see this technology used in low-end PCs sold in retail stores. Enthusiasts like us will only see it when our relatives or clients need help, or perhaps on low-end netbooks.
When process yields are low, nobody minds that chips with defective cores or cache are sold as lower end models. A Phenom X4 sells for 100% over cost, and Athlon X2 might only sell for 15% over cost.
When process yields are high, every chip could be made into a Phenom X4 but there is still demand for Athlon X2 for use in low-end systems. For market segmentation reasons some chips are made into Athlon X2s, so that AMD can sell more chips and make more overall profit.
To prevent remarking and other arbitrage, the disabling mechanism is a combination of shorting some fuses (permanent damage.) In addition, a code on the CPU instructs the BIOS which cores on the CPU are usable.
<snip>
The hardware vendor needs to disable the broken circuitry to make the chip functional. This is done by setting configuration straps, typically via a ROM or FUSE mechanism.How it works now ---> fab flagship ---> if it works, it's a Phenom II ==> else, it is a lower series (defined by AMD's marketing and QC departments)
This is pretty much how it is done now. As I noted earlier there are several mechanisms (including fuses) which allow behaviour to be strapped. You can be sure that all chips already have a fuse bank to configure behaviour - this would require no change in the manufacturing process.Your proposal ---> fab flagship ---> if it works, install fuses and it can be the lowest chip to the highest chip ==> else, conveniently ignore all chips that aren't up to flagship QC/status/failed batches or install fuses into them ~~~> end result: really weird marketing scheme
I'm very skeptical that any CS/EE/IE undergrad could blow a fuse implemented on the actual ASIC.[...] with upgrades to fuses which can be reversed engineered by any CS/EE/IE/system design undergrad.
The hardware vendor needs to disable the broken circuitry to make the chip functional. This is done by setting configuration straps, typically via a ROM or FUSE mechanism.
This is pretty much how it is done now. As I noted earlier there are several mechanisms (including fuses) which allow behaviour to be strapped. You can be sure that all chips already have a fuse bank to configure behaviour - this would require no change in the manufacturing process.
I'm very skeptical that any CS/EE/IE undergrad could blow a fuse implemented on the actual ASIC.