Intel Upgrade Service
The Intel Upgrade Service was a relatively short-lived and controversial program of Intel that allowed some low-end processors to have additional features unlocked by simply paying a fee and obtaining an activation code that was then entered in a software program, which ran on Windows 7.
The program was introduced in September 2010 for the Clarkdale-based Pentium G6951 desktop processor (operating at 2.8 Ghz), and immediately met with criticism from the specialist press.[1][2][3][4] For a $50 fee, this processor could have one additional megabyte of cache enabled, as well hyper-threading, making it almost like the Core i3-530, except for the slightly lower frequency that remained unchanged—the i3-530 operated at 2.93 Ghz.[3] The official designation for the software-upgraded processor was Pentium G6952.[3] In order for the activation software to work, the motherboard had have the DH55TC or DH55PJ chipset.[1] One reviewer noted that at the market price of the time one could actually buy the i3-530 for only $15 more than the baseline Pentium G6951, making the upgrade premium card a very questionable proposition at the official price.[5]
The program was extended in 2011 to the Sandy Bridge series of processors as follows:[6]
- the Core i3-2312M (2.1 GHz, 3 MB cache) laptop processor could be upgraded to the Core i3-2393M with higher frequency and more cache (2.5 GHz, 4 MB cache)
- the Core i3-2102 (3.1 GHz, 3 MB cache) desktop processor could be upgraded to the Core i3-2153 with a higher frequency (3.6 GHz)
- the Pentium G622 desktop processor (2.6 GHz, 3 MB cache) could be upgraded to the Pentium G693 with a higher frequency (3.2 GHz)
The Sandy Bridge upgrade program was available in U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, the Netherlands, Germany, the Philippines, and Indonesia.[7]
Intel initially defended the program,[7] but it was eventually discontinued in 2011.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b http://www.pcworld.com/article/205772/Intel_Annoying_Pilot_Program_Offers_Chip_Upgrade_for_a_Fee.html
- ^ http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/15/the-intel-upgrade-service-once-again-charging-you-50-to-do-stu/
- ^ a b c http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010/09/intels-upgradable-processor-good-sense-or-utter-catastrophe/
- ^ http://boingboing.net/2010/09/19/intel-drm-a-crippled.html
- ^ http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/Intel-returns-upgrade-cards-more-their-crippled-parts
- ^ http://www.anandtech.com/show/4621/intel-to-offer-cpu-upgrades-via-software-for-selected-models
- ^ a b http://www.pcworld.com/article/238243/article.html
- ^ https://upgrades.intel.com/Public/Page.aspx?name=PublicLandingPage
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