14 DAY TRIAL // Consumers are undoubtedly aware of the steady approach of the time when Advanced Micro Devices will launch its collection of six-core processors. These CPUs will be based on the AM3 implementation of the six-core architecture known as Istambul and will carry the name of Thuban. What end-users might not know, however, is that AMD doesn't plan on limiting the Thuban core to just six-core chips. Apparently, the Sunnyvale, California-based chip maker intends to release quad-core versions of the chip, as part of the Phenom II X4 T line.
Among the processors in this lineup will be the Phenom II X4 960T and Phenom II X4 940T. Basically, they will be six-core chips with two cores disabled. Most consumers usually buy high-end chips when their current systems can't handle certain games. However, there aren't games, so far, that can run on six cores, which means that owners of either processor in the Phenom II X4 T line will be able to keep their chips in quad-core format and only unlock the extra two cores when they have applications to take advantage of them. These processors are codenamed Zosma.
The same report that reveals AMD's Zosma plans also confirms another longstanding suspicion regarding AMD's upcoming processors, namely their ability to modify clock speeds on the fly. Similar to Intel's Turbo Boost technology, more or less, the feature will detect when certain cores are needed more than others and will, accordingly, power down unused cores in order to safely boost the clocks of the others.
The Phenom II X4 960T will have a clock of 3.30Ghz, whereas the 940T will operate at 3.00 GHz. Of course, as it is the case with all CPUs with inactive cores, the motherboard itself will have to support the unlocking feature if consumers ever want to turn their X4 chips into X6.