AMD uses the same base architecture for most of its processors and this is the reason we can often unlock additional CPU cores and such with the cheaper models. It’s not that often you hear about unlocking cache though. Not everyone knows that the Athlon II X3 series is really a Phenom II CPU with deactivated L3 cache. Unlike opening up a fourth core, L3 cache usually makes a big difference in games, clearly shown by the Asian site inpai.com.
It took an Athlon II X3 435 CPU and showed how some moves around the BIOS would unlock the deactivated 6MB L3 cache and this way gain from 10 up to 20% in gaming performance.
The processor turns into a faster version of the popular Phenom II X3 720 processor since it now has the same sized L3 cache but sports 100MHz higher clock. So far this function is only available with MSI’s latest BIOS versions, which wasn’t all that surprising its recent endorsement of unlocking processor cores.
Athlon II X3 CPU with activated L3 cache
