I have an issue with my new AMD motherboard replacement: I bought what was sold to me as an AMD Athlon X3 455, a triple core chip (actually a Quad core with one core diabled...) this is supposed to be a "Rana" chip, running at 3.3 Mhz. What it reports as, though, is a "Phenom II X4 B55", a Quad core chip running at 3.3 Ghz and all 4 cores run. (and validate!) My problem isn't that I got an extra core - it's that the only "B55" I can find on Wikipedia is a dual core, 3.0Ghz chip...

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Hello, from Albany, CA!...

Hi ,

I have one of these running at 3.3 GHz - standard
I only get 3 cores tho, which is what I purchased.
It did misreport as 4 cores in an older version of Boinc, but only 3 were available.


AuthenticAMD
AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 B55 Processor [Family 16 Model 5 Stepping 3]
(3 processors)

Reg

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From my quick inquiry ..... it looks like your "Rana" chip AKA "Phenom II X4 B55" is also known as the unlocked Phenom II X2 550. This is simply a Phenom X4 with two cores disabled. Bet you inadvertently had the BIOS setting for unlocking hidden cores enabled.

Also, I do find the Phenom II X2 B55 in the "Callisto" section of Wikipedia. It is a Business Class 4 core "Deneb" design with two cores disabled.

Cheers, Keith

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From my quick inquiry ..... it looks like your "Rana" chip AKA "Phenom II X4 B55" is also known as the unlocked Phenom II X2 550. This is simply a Phenom X4 with two cores disabled. Bet you inadvertently had the BIOS setting for unlocking hidden cores enabled.

Also, I do find the Phenom II X2 B55 in the "Callisto" section of Wikipedia. It is a Business Class 4 core "Deneb" design with two cores disabled.

Cheers, Keith

Nothing "inadvertent" about my BIOS settings... (which I always at least look at when doing a M/B swap) Yes, I saw that B55 dual-core, but if you read across, it's a 3.0 Ghz chip, not a 3.3... And good luck finding any mention of the B55 chip on AMD's site - it's as though they have dis-avowed any knowledge of that product! (which was bought in October of 2011, BTW)

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Hello, from Albany, CA!...

From my quick inquiry ..... it looks like your "Rana" chip AKA "Phenom II X4 B55" is also known as the unlocked Phenom II X2 550. This is simply a Phenom X4 with two cores disabled. Bet you inadvertently had the BIOS setting for unlocking hidden cores enabled.

Also, I do find the Phenom II X2 B55 in the "Callisto" section of Wikipedia. It is a Business Class 4 core "Deneb" design with two cores disabled.

Cheers, Keith

Nothing "inadvertent" about my BIOS settings... (which I always at least look at when doing a M/B swap) Yes, I saw that B55 dual-core, but if you read across, it's a 3.0 Ghz chip, not a 3.3... And good luck finding any mention of the B55 chip on AMD's site - it's as though they have dis-avowed any knowledge of that product! (which was bought in October of 2011, BTW)

There's no problem at all finding it on AMD's site:

Desktop Processor Solutions Model B55


A simple google search for AMD +B55 got me as the first link the page for a whole load of AMD desktop processors, and the B55 is there too:

315 Matching Products

Thats the dual core running @3.0 not the tri core @3.3 GHZ.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

The name of "Phenom II X4 B55" is probably just one that is listed in the microcode name list, but was never released as a specific product. At least in retail. It could be a custom OEM product/name that just gets pulled up when option in the BIOS are selected for unlocking cores & such.

EDIT: Oh and for weird MB/CPU stuff I have a system at work with a Core 2 Duo that sometimes boots up and thinks it has 3 cores.

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