Wiki Vandalism!?

[cad2blender]

Intel Core Solo (product code 80538) uses the same two-core die as the Core Duo, but features only one active core. This allows Intel to sell dies that have a manufacturing defect in one but not both of the cores. Depending on demand, Intel may also simply disable one of the cores to sell the chip at the Core Solo price -- this requires less effort than launching and maintaining a separate line of CPUs that physically only have one core. Intel used the same strategy previously with the 486 CPU in which early 486SX CPUs were in fact manufactured as 486DX CPUs but the FPU failed quality control and the connection was physically severed.

I was just strolling around wikipedia and found this. Is this wiki vandalism? When I saw it I couldn't think it's real but is it?

Linky

 

[cwa107]

I was just strolling around wikipedia and found this. Is this wiki vandalism? When I saw it I couldn't think it's real but is it?

Linky

This is not uncommon practice in the industry. Many CPUs come off the same silicon wafer. Some are capable of higher clock rates than others and this is how speed rating is determined. It would not surprise me in the least if this were true.

 

[Kash]

It's totally real. This is exactly how Intel and AMD manufacture their processors. Like the article says, it's much cheaper to have one assembly line to make all the processors than to have separate lines.

 

[jonnyd]

It's quite common in various manufacturing processes.

DVD players are all made identically, then the regional coding is set via a very superficial software change - they can almost all be unlocked in about 5 seconds with a combination of keys on the remote.

I have never found one that couldn't.