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Jason
Asked: 2009-07-23 07:49:54 +0800 CST

Can I turn off a faulty core temporarily on my CPU?

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I have the following CPU:

 AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache 
 Series Phenom X4
 Model HD960ZWCGDBOX
 Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor

I'm getting BSODs and an event code:

 A corrected hardware error occurred.  
 Error Source: Corrected Machine Check
 Error Type: Cache Hierarchy Error
 Processor ID Valid: Yes
 Processor ID: 0x3
 Bank Number: 0
 Transaction Type: Data
 Processor Participation: N/A
 Request Type: Data Read
 Memory/Io: N/A
 Memory Hierarchy Level: Level 1
 Timeout: N/A

This appears to be an L1 Cache problem with the 3rd Core in my CPU. I assume I need a replacement, unless this isn't the cause of my BSODs.

Can I simply turn off this core in the meantime? If not, is there any other suggestion?

central-processing-unit cache bsod multi-core

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    You want to turn your X4 into a X3...

    There is an Advanced Clock Calibration/Control option in the BIOS.
    Depending on your motherboard/BIOS, it may allow you to select a "per core" control.
    Which may let you stop the core you want out.

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  2. Depending on the machine you should be able to turn it off in the system bios. This requires a reboot of course... most OSes will be ok with it.

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