Hanners has posted a news article.

We've heard Intel talking about plans for software upgradeable CPUs before, but now it appears that they're going to be putting that plan into action with a trio of their Sandy Bridge parts.

Read the full story here.

Actually, this is the first I remember hearing of such talk. I hope it works out for them. I just wonder how long till some loser hacks it and quashes the idea altogether.

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Not really anything new there except for Intel selling upgrade code rather than chips (saves manufacturing costs for sure).

Unbeknownst to most is that CPUs have had programmable instruction sets for well over a decade now. That is how Intel fixes their CPU bugs - via a microcode patch uploaded as a part of a bios flash. I'm honestly at a loss why it took them so long to come up with this idea. CPU silicon has been artificially binned for quite a while now. The fact that you can buy a 3.4Ghz CPU & run it at nearly 5Ghz for a short time (or 4.4Ghz everyday without even trying) shows that.

For something like this is is a simple matter of Intel selling an upgrade patch that updates the chip's configuration data. Easy to do using existing technology that has been around for years.

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I'd pay $50 to $75 for a decent upgrade. I'd love to be able to turn on hyperthreading! /ePeen

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I´d much rather pay 180 eur for a 2500k and then 100 euros more to upgrade it into a 2600k than pay 180 eur for 2500k and then 280 eur to replace it with a 2600k. All the while I´m assuming I am not being limited by my motherboard choises and the multiplier must remain unlocked and I must be able to overclock the bezebus out of both before and after upgrading it.

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Amiga 1200 PPC 250MHz | Bvision permedia 3d graphics accelerator | 256MB ram | 32 GB CF HDD | Indivision AGA | 21" Nokia Xav CRT monitor. |
ZX Spectrum 128k | Divide HDD interface with 512 MB CF card HDD | Ram Turbo joystick interface | RGB Scart | GBS8220 with scart mod |

Hi Mr Roboto, I thought you might have died by now. Is Quinn feeding you new algorithms?

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We had some assholes trying to login as him. The new phpbb put a stop to that.

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Intel Pentium E6500 @ 3.3 GHz - Gigabyte GA-G41M-Combo (Intel G41 Chipset) - 2 x 2 GB PC3-1333 DDR3 (Dual Channel) - Asus Radeon HD 6670 1 GB - 500 GB HD - LG 42" 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV 42LK450 - VisionTek Candyboard USB RF Wireless Mini Keyboard - Windows 7 64-bit

Ouch, Mr Roboto was violated!

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Folding for Team EB | Stats | Member of the Radeon HD 4770 Society
Y-Axis Inverter, and proud of it.