Friday May 25, 2012 12:19 AM AEST

Atomic MPC > News > Build > CPUs, Motherboards & RAM > Intel create US$50 DLC for the Pentium G6951

Intel create US$50 DLC for the Pentium G6951

Intel seem to be following the video game industry and offering downloads for processors; would you pay for the same chip twice?

DLC, or DownLoadable Content, has become popular with videogame publishers - where the original game is sold, and further content sold after release for a small fee.

However, Intel have seen this glorious golden egg and are following suit: the Gateway SX2841-09e comes with a brand-spanking new Pentium G6951 'Clarkdale' processor, minus a few important features.

Included for sale alongside the Gateway system is an upgrade card that, according to engadget, allows the download of a software tweak from the newly-formed 'Intel Upgrade Service' for the princely sum of US$50.

This so-called service unlocks full Hyperthreading support and grants access to an extra 1MB of L3 cache, which wouldn't be so bad - if not for the fact that these features existed in silicon the entire time.

Can it add enough?

The Intel Upgrade Service is running as a limited-time "pilot program" in the USA, Canada, Netherlands and Spain, but it's not a huge stretch to see it going worldwide if enough users purchase the 'upgrade'.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you pay for the processor twice?

Aliens: Colonial Marines in depth; Z-77 Motherboard round-up; strategy gaming special; Home Server tutorial. PLUS MUCH MORE - ON SALE NOW!

Ads by Google

34 Comments

danin316 Sep 20, 2010 10:35 AM	HAHAHA thats awesome pretty soon there will be free cracked upgrades for cpu's on the pirate bay nice work intel
MrPodgy Sep 20, 2010 11:07 AM	pathetic... really... why do companies insist on trying to aggrivate the consumer even further... what can i say but danin316 i would dare say that this will be the way if the pilot catches on... Futhermore to that, they may as well start writing games to allow us to unlock the tech (WHICH WE HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR!!!) WHAT a ridiculous notion to even start doing this. HARDWARE MAKERS:- Prepare for a revolt. I can understand console manufacturers doing this but damn not PC's
somemadcaaant Sep 20, 2010 11:25 AM	$50 for an extra 5% performance at best... I can't see this catching on surely, how many suckers can there be out there in the world - seriously?! Damn these glazed golden doughnuts looks good, I know your not healthy for me and you will strip 5 yrs off life but I must have you…
Jeruselem Sep 20, 2010 11:27 AM	Intel and AMD will be probably be selling this on Steam later ...
Yarrago Sep 20, 2010 11:38 AM	What an absurd notion paying to unlock features you already have implemented in hardware (and this isn't the first time this has been done I'm sure). The R&D's expense is there the production cost is there, all you are doing is adding the cost of protecting this lock down (the companies effectively paying to fight consumers against the performance of their own product...pretty counter intuitive if you ask me). It seems plausible that they would make money from the scheme, but it seems against good judgement to do so after all your going to have people not running your product at its full potential and that doesn't really help keeping customers for life. I hope reporters do there job in boycotting the process and don't bother to review the unlocked version thus lowering performance scores. I also hope this gets scrapped and released as a free microcode update.
whatsup_will Sep 20, 2010 12:02 PM	i wonder if we will get super cheap cpu's that can be upgraded to the $1000+ cpu's
whatsup_will Sep 20, 2010 12:05 PM	IBM use to do it, with their printers, my boss told me about this over a drinking session. all IBM had to do was move a belt and change some pins which was actually controlled via the badge they placed on the printer. so they could change a 100page per minute printer into a 200page per minute printer without removing the machine, but change you heaps more $$$ for it.
majestic975 Sep 20, 2010 12:43 PM	I think we forgot to read the following in the article: "Gateway SX2841-09e". Its a Gateway system to begin with, so the BIOS would be very very basic, to a point where you cant do much with it and same goes for the motherboard, etc. So their customers would be the 'mum and dad' types who would pay that sort of money because to them it would be justifiable, their system would be faster and so on, but not that they would understand much about their system or how to even get into the BIOS itself to tweak it themselves thats why they would be ripped of with purchasing the software, its much easier for Intel to sell and make it look like they're getting value for money.So yes, potentially Intel would make a lot of money from suckers, but not from us Atomicans.
devothederro Sep 20, 2010 12:59 PM	This is unethical, intel is making you pay for something you have already purchased, whereas software DLC you are buying additional code so it something tangible. This puts intel in legally vulnerable position so I think there will be a few lawsuits coming their way if they push ahead with this sales model.
SceptreCore Sep 20, 2010 1:07 PM	Majestic. Don't you see this as the tip of the iceberg? What if they start to introduce this to all their line of processors. Even Sandy Bridge.
NobodyIsHere Sep 20, 2010 1:24 PM	Id imagine it would work somewhat like region codes on dvd drives, after 1(or more) successful write pin entry's, the physical wire in the chip would burn out, leaving it permanently unlocked, I doubt it will be controlled via the BIOS, that would make it to way easy to unlock. Makes me glad that ive only ever bought AMD cpus for my personal pc's, hopefully AMD wont follow suit if this takes off for intel....
Meowkitty Sep 20, 2010 1:26 PM	Intel makes a chip to a spec, it's not selling. but cheeper ships of similar technology but fewer core are selling better. will they, hold the higher stock till it is wothless or engineer ti to slip into the lower spec market and realise their turn over sooner. then allow users who wish to access to the locked cores. it's like clickign the "upgrade for $50" button on the web portal a year after you make the purchase. this makes sense, just not to a user comunity that wants maximum power computing. then it sounds weird.
kikz Sep 20, 2010 1:31 PM	I don't see the problem. Buy a chip. buy upgrades until ur happy with the speed.
phatbeat Sep 20, 2010 1:33 PM	Add a 40% mark up for the Australian market out of the bag to stay in line with the digital downloads we get ripped on as well. This is utter BS, the cost of the chips will need to be reduced by this amount just to make it a fair system. That will never happen.
SceptreCore Sep 20, 2010 2:02 PM	I think you should get what you've paid for. Intel should have no right to hold parts of your purchase at ransom.
majestic975 Sep 20, 2010 3:00 PM	Or we could all just buy AMD again. Problem solved. Itel sales will fall, then they'll have to deal with it.
arkiek Sep 20, 2010 4:16 PM	i can see this working in one way. for example everyone buys the same crappy single core processor for $50. then you get the option of upgrading it into a dual, quad or hexa core computer with differing speeds for differing prices. it would probably be cheaper to produce since you're making one universal processor and it cost's less to import because the product itself is cheaper (unless they screw over aussies with markups)
xBomx Sep 20, 2010 5:36 PM	that is so wrong, its already part of the hardware, why should any one pay just to switch the light on its extra features? only a fucking idiot capitalist would thought of this and also only a fucking idiot consumer would buy it, this is so fucken fucked up.
xtort Sep 20, 2010 5:42 PM	I wonder how long it will take till this tweak gets reverse engineered. Could make things quite interesting.
Mordecai Sep 20, 2010 6:29 PM	Would car manufacturers get on to this I wonder? Pay an extra $5000 to unlock "new " features in your car! Today only with 50% off you can get a "steering wheel!" for just $2500USD + %40 mark up for you being one of those stinking Aussies.
Khirareq Sep 20, 2010 7:28 PM	More like buying a house, and being told "No need to renovate! Just pay us more cash, and we'll give you the key to this door - The room is already built!"
alex8337 Sep 20, 2010 10:18 PM	If all intel chips did this, I'd buy AMD, if AMD did it too, I'd download a cracked copy. In the end their only shooting themselves in the foot. It might have a good short term effect but we (the extreme tweakers) are the ones that upgrade frequently, we are the ones that influence the reviews, we are the ones that affect their sales, we are anonymous, we are legion.
Suxsuxsux Sep 21, 2010 12:25 AM	I'm thinking by the time the average user got round to doing the unlock, their computer would be so full of malware there would be no perceivable improvement in performance.
SparrowFart Sep 21, 2010 2:54 AM	what ever happened to common sense? Thats right they dont teach that at uni..... stupid marketing departments
Metasynaptic Sep 21, 2010 9:45 AM	@Sux, you'd be surprised how many people out there that would produce an unlock crack, without malware, just to piss off the vendor.
TinBane Sep 21, 2010 11:37 AM	I think it's a bad idea: It engenders distrust of the brand. It means they have to produce feature-rich processors, that they then have to (presumably) sell for a lower price, potentially effecting margins. It differentiates them (negatively) from AMD.
Suxsuxsux Sep 21, 2010 6:36 PM	@Metasynaptic By unlock I mean pay for the legit unlock, and that the average users computer is so chocked up with general Malware that paying for extra CPU performance down the track would therefore give no noticeable result.
Athiril Sep 22, 2010 1:17 AM	I hope this means intel's processor will be $50US cheaper than normal and not remain the same price, discounted cpu ftw.
Lambo Sep 22, 2010 12:17 PM	I think alot of you are missing what Intel is trying to do here. I think this could be very good idea for small/medium business who roll out PC's. Imagine being able to purchase a PC @ X price, then when you need it down the track, unlock PC's as required as budget allows. You maximus your investment, you only give the additional CPU power to those that really need it, and you don't have to rollout new PCs or change SOE to do it. It won't work on the enthusiest level, but for corporate/smb space I think there is potential here.
Jeruselem Sep 22, 2010 2:44 PM	It might work if the CPU gets sold cheaper but if the prices don't change then it's really another pricing scam.
Camotec Sep 22, 2010 9:15 PM	Maybe I will think twice about buying an Intel Processor for my next PC (early next year) and just buy an AMD instead. Seriously Intel, You already charge enough for your processors, you dont need more of our money surely! Yours who is about to jump the fence and land on AMD's lawn.
Khirareq Sep 26, 2010 2:40 PM	Be good for system builders - Just have 100 systems ready for shipping, and pack the unlock codes for the 20 systems going to the VIP client (What Lambo was saying, but I reckon a step before getting to the clients) Does this license unlock the CPU itself? So if I upgrade a chip, can I move that chip to another system with the same upgraded features? Or is the upgrade locked into the system?
Athlonite Oct 20, 2010 2:58 AM	Knowing Intel It'll be system locked just to fuck us off
Aeth\|r Feb 4, 2011 5:47 PM	I think Khirareq raises a good point about the portability of the upgrade; if it ends in a situation where the CPU is tied to the subsystem it was unlocked on, then it's a definite lose for the enthusiast consumer. Lambo also raises a good point, but for those of us who demand up-front top performance from our components it's a pretty ghastly rip-off. Personally, this to me is another nail in Intel's coffin. That X6 is looking better and better...

Comments have been disabled on this article.

Atomic Magazine

Issue: 137 | June, 2012

Atomic is a magazine aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts, gamers, and serious PC upgraders.

Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.

What's in this issue?