If you own an Intel motherboard with a Z170 or Z270 chipset, you might believe that it only supports CPUs up to Intel’s 7th generation, known as Kaby Lake. Even the CPU socket’s pinout …
  • mlg@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    28 days ago

    Turns out, the difference in the socket is just a few pins here and there, and you can make a 8th or 9th generation Coffee Lake CPU work on your Z170/270 board if you apply a few Kapton tape fixes and mod your BIOS,

    Modders giving me a new reason to keep my ye olde z170 mobo instead of just making a new machine with all the nice hardware

    • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      29 days ago

      They’ve been pulling this shit since the early days. Similar tricks were employed in the 486 days to swap out chips, and again in the Celeron days. I think they switched to the slot style intentionally to keep selling chips to a point lol

      • turmacar@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        28 days ago

        It’s been at least since the “big iron” days.

        Technician comes out to upgrade your mainframe and it consists of installing a jumper to enable the extra features. For only a few million dollars.

        • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
          0·
          28 days ago

          https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000498114.pdf

          Soviet Computer Technology: Little Prospect for Catching Up

          We believe that there are many reasons why the Soviets trail the United States in computer technology:

          • The Soviets’ centrally-planned economy does not permit adequate flexibility to design or manufacturing changes frequently encountered in computer production; this situation has often resulted in a shortage of critical components — especially for new products.
              • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                0·
                27 days ago

                Marginally. The paper analyzes the capabilities as they existed in the 1980s, but doesn’t draw strong conclusions as to why that may be. It does demonstrate how reliance on central planning results in inadequaciea when said central planning is not operating well, though.

                The paper doesn’t really mention it but the central planning of the USSR was actively reeling from Brezhnev dying, Andropov dying, and Chernenko either dying or about to die at the time the CIA thing was written. So yeah, correct is an accurate if imprecise way to put it.

    • aard@kyu.deEnglish
      0·
      29 days ago

      Intel is well known for requiring a new board for each new CPU generation, even if it is the same socket. AMD on the other hand is known to push stuff to its physical limits before they break compatibility.

      • neo@lemy.lolEnglish
        0·
        29 days ago

        But why? Did Intel make a deal with the board manufacturers? Is this tradition from the days when they build boards themselves?

        I thought they just didn’t care and wanted as little restrictions for their chip design as possible, but if this actually works without drawbacks, that theory is out the window.