5 ms·

For those who just read the title: the "fuse" doesn't stop the cpu from working, it's just a flag for AMD support to know that the chip has been overclocked and

For those who just read the title: the "fuse" doesn't stop the cpu from working, it's just a flag for AMD support to know that the chip has been overclocked and this might invalidate the warranty.

actionfromafar 3y ago
To me this is actually a reasonable thing for AMD to do. It still leaves me free to do whatever I want with my property.
- machinekob 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - offices 3y ago
    If Nvidia/Apple/Intel used hardware fuses? Hahaha!
  - m_st 3y ago
    Apple has (had?) a water sensor in the iPhones to detect that the phone was in water. Didn't break anything, just signaled that there was water contact.
    - Zetobal 3y ago
      I tripped mine when I was in Vietnam... just because of the humidity.
  - weberer 3y ago
    I know Nvidia does the same thing in their Tegra chips. It stops you from downgrading to previous firmware versions on the Nintendo Switch.
  - jeffparsons 3y ago
    I kinda assumed that all the above companies would already be doing something similar. I want to live in a world with warranties, so if there's a non-privacy-violating way for companies to protect themselves a little bit from fraudulent warranty claims, why shouldn't they do it?
    - machinekob 3y ago
      They should, I was just speaking about hidding the fact from the customer. (everytime NV/Apple/Intel do something stupid people react with fuck them vibes, everytime AMD do something stupid peopel on hacker news are defending them like AMD is some sort of small startup)
      - account42 3y ago
        Maybe it was not advertised pre-sale as well as it should be but do you really count this as hiding anything from the customer: https://twitter.com/hjc4869/status/1734421088606851462 https://twitter.com/hjc4869/status/1734421088606851462
  - mngdtt 3y ago
    [flagged]
scrlk 3y ago
On a related note, AMD's EPYC CPUs have eFuses that enforce a vendor lock. This means you can't transfer an EPYC CPU from, say, a Dell server to a Lenovo server. https://www.servethehome.com/amd-psb-vendor-locks-epyc-cpus-for-enhanced-security-at-a-cost/2/ https://www.servethehome.com/amd-psb-vendor-locks-epyc-cpus-...
- PartiallyTyped 3y ago
  Smh this is ridiculous. You literally bought the hardware...
  - Am4TIfIsER0ppos 3y ago
    "You will own nothing" and I thought that was about houses, cars, tools, and entertainment media
    - Turskarama 3y ago
      For you to own _nothing_, it must apply to _everything_.
  - bell-cot 3y ago
    First Thought: Are those CPU's available (at Dell-sized quantities) with vendor-specific features? If so, Dell has excellent reason to keep possibly-incompatible CPU's out of their systems.
    - PartiallyTyped 3y ago
      If they have Dell-specific features, then I agree.
  - woleium 3y ago
    Come on, these are server chips. No sensible organization is going to be moving chips between vendor boards, at least until they are written off.
pjc50 3y ago
The equivalent of those "warranty void if removed" stickers. Not a problem in and of itself.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  The real problem is marketing overclocking as if it's just an everyday common thing to do with little to no thought.
  - bryanlarsen 3y ago
    The complaint in the article is the inverse: the BIOS displays a big scary warning about overclocking voiding the warranty when in fact overclocking does not necessarily void the warranty. It's more of an "everyday common thing" than the message in the BIOS implies.
pankajdoharey 3y ago
Clearly they just want to know the data on failure rate of their process, this affects their real bottom line, Servers and Consoles where reliability is everything. Gaming Computer users are a minority and Custom PC owners are steadily declining.
- washadjeffmad 3y ago
  "If not blown, then not overclocked" was my reading, as well.
ErneX 3y ago
I remembered the Xbox 360 processor also had eFuses: https://free60.org/Hardware/Fusesets/ https://free60.org/Hardware/Fusesets/
- 127361 3y ago
  You could write protect them by removing a resistor (R6T3) from the console's motherboard. https://consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox_360:Disabling_the_eFuse_Burning_Circuit https://consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox_360:Disabling_the_eFuse_Bu... (see Method 2)
- BXlnt2EachOther 3y ago
  Nintendo Switch too IIRC, to guard against users downgrading to a prior firmware with vulnerabilities.
  - nosrepa 3y ago
    The switch has fuses that blow when you upgrade your firmware to a significant version number. It will check how many fuses are blown to validate what version the fw should be at.

For those who just read the title: the "fuse" doesn't stop the cpu from working, it's just a flag for AMD support to know that the chip has been overclocked and this might invalidate the warranty.

actionfromafar 3y ago

To me this is actually a reasonable thing for AMD to do. It still leaves me free to do whatever I want with my property.

machinekob 3y ago
[flagged]
- offices 3y ago
  If Nvidia/Apple/Intel used hardware fuses? Hahaha!
- m_st 3y ago
  Apple has (had?) a water sensor in the iPhones to detect that the phone was in water. Didn't break anything, just signaled that there was water contact.
  - Zetobal 3y ago
    I tripped mine when I was in Vietnam... just because of the humidity.
- weberer 3y ago
  I know Nvidia does the same thing in their Tegra chips. It stops you from downgrading to previous firmware versions on the Nintendo Switch.
- jeffparsons 3y ago
  I kinda assumed that all the above companies would already be doing something similar. I want to live in a world with warranties, so if there's a non-privacy-violating way for companies to protect themselves a little bit from fraudulent warranty claims, why shouldn't they do it?
  - machinekob 3y ago
    They should, I was just speaking about hidding the fact from the customer. (everytime NV/Apple/Intel do something stupid people react with fuck them vibes, everytime AMD do something stupid peopel on hacker news are defending them like AMD is some sort of small startup)
    - account42 3y ago
      Maybe it was not advertised pre-sale as well as it should be but do you really count this as hiding anything from the customer: https://twitter.com/hjc4869/status/1734421088606851462 https://twitter.com/hjc4869/status/1734421088606851462
- mngdtt 3y ago
  [flagged]

scrlk 3y ago

On a related note, AMD's EPYC CPUs have eFuses that enforce a vendor lock. This means you can't transfer an EPYC CPU from, say, a Dell server to a Lenovo server. https://www.servethehome.com/amd-psb-vendor-locks-epyc-cpus-for-enhanced-security-at-a-cost/2/ https://www.servethehome.com/amd-psb-vendor-locks-epyc-cpus-...

PartiallyTyped 3y ago
Smh this is ridiculous. You literally bought the hardware...
- Am4TIfIsER0ppos 3y ago
  "You will own nothing" and I thought that was about houses, cars, tools, and entertainment media
  - Turskarama 3y ago
    For you to own _nothing_, it must apply to _everything_.
- bell-cot 3y ago
  First Thought: Are those CPU's available (at Dell-sized quantities) with vendor-specific features? If so, Dell has excellent reason to keep possibly-incompatible CPU's out of their systems.
  - PartiallyTyped 3y ago
    If they have Dell-specific features, then I agree.
- woleium 3y ago
  Come on, these are server chips. No sensible organization is going to be moving chips between vendor boards, at least until they are written off.

pjc50 3y ago

The equivalent of those "warranty void if removed" stickers. Not a problem in and of itself.

Dalewyn 3y ago
The real problem is marketing overclocking as if it's just an everyday common thing to do with little to no thought.
- bryanlarsen 3y ago
  The complaint in the article is the inverse: the BIOS displays a big scary warning about overclocking voiding the warranty when in fact overclocking does not necessarily void the warranty. It's more of an "everyday common thing" than the message in the BIOS implies.

pankajdoharey 3y ago

Clearly they just want to know the data on failure rate of their process, this affects their real bottom line, Servers and Consoles where reliability is everything. Gaming Computer users are a minority and Custom PC owners are steadily declining.

washadjeffmad 3y ago
"If not blown, then not overclocked" was my reading, as well.

ErneX 3y ago

I remembered the Xbox 360 processor also had eFuses: https://free60.org/Hardware/Fusesets/ https://free60.org/Hardware/Fusesets/

127361 3y ago
You could write protect them by removing a resistor (R6T3) from the console's motherboard. https://consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox_360:Disabling_the_eFuse_Burning_Circuit https://consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox_360:Disabling_the_eFuse_Bu... (see Method 2)
BXlnt2EachOther 3y ago
Nintendo Switch too IIRC, to guard against users downgrading to a prior firmware with vulnerabilities.
- nosrepa 3y ago
  The switch has fuses that blow when you upgrade your firmware to a significant version number. It will check how many fuses are blown to validate what version the fw should be at.