Will a PC POST with a bad core?

[Spork Schivago]

Will most motherboards POST with a bad core in a multi-core system or will the BIOS prevent it from POSTing? Thanks.

[goontron]

Re: Will a PC POST with a bad core?

Depends... Most will throw a CPU error and halt. If your talking a Sun Microsystems it will throw an error and disable the CPU if it's not CPU 0

[ddscentral]

Re: Will a PC POST with a bad core?

It depends on what core and how bad it is.

Remember those unlockable AMD CPUs ?
Some CPUs would unlock cores just fine, while others would not even POST with cores unlocked or would POST but would be unstable (crashes, BSODs, kernel panics, etc.).
Some CPUs would not unlock at all.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Will a PC POST with a bad core?

Depends... Most will throw a CPU error and halt. If your talking a Sun Microsystems it will throw an error and disable the CPU if it's not CPU 0

Thank you. I was specifically asking about PCs, as in IBM compatible, x86 or x86_64 instruction set CPUs, like Intel or AMD. Thanks for explaining about the Suns though. If it is CPU 0, what do they do? Just not POST at all?

Is there anyway around the CPU error on an IBM compatible PC? Can you still get into the BIOS to disable the core, if the BIOS allows you or would you need a modified BIOS? Thanks.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Will a PC POST with a bad core?

It depends on what core and how bad it is.

Remember those unlockable AMD CPUs ?
Some CPUs would unlock cores just fine, while others would not even POST with cores unlocked or would POST but would be unstable (crashes, BSODs, kernel panics, etc.).
Some CPUs would not unlock at all.

Yes, I think I do remember the ones you're talking about. Like an AMD 3 core CPU that actually had four cores, just one was disabled or locked. People found ways to unlock them and some worked just fine, others had issues. Is that what you're talking about there?

[goontron]

Re: Will a PC POST with a bad core?

Thank you. I was specifically asking about PCs, as in IBM compatible, x86 or x86_64 instruction set CPUs, like Intel or AMD. Thanks for explaining about the Suns though. If it is CPU 0, what do they do? Just not POST at all?

Is there anyway around the CPU error on an IBM compatible PC? Can you still get into the BIOS to disable the core, if the BIOS allows you or would you need a modified BIOS? Thanks.

Sorry, I'm not very intimate with PC BIOS.. Suns just won't even POST if CPU 0 is gone...
As for PC BIOS, From my limited experience (Trusted core BIOS) if it's the first core, or some shared resource like cache it won't even try...

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Will a PC POST with a bad core?

Thank you Goontron. Wish I could afford a nice Sun system. Got an old Sparc or two laying around here some wheres. An IPC and then something else, don't remember what. Got the something else from NASA a few years back. It's rack mountable but I believe it's an older system.