Replies to post #11694 on Intel Corp (INTC)

[chipguy]

So, let's assume for a minute that the reported dark transistors in Prescott are EM64T, I wonder, are the dark transistors fused at End Of Line, or just deactivated? If so, would it be possible to reactivate them in Prescotts already sold with some sort of BIOS reflash?

My guess is that it was fused off to hinder competitive
analysis and potential hacks. It would almost certainly
be fused off if the 64 bit mode was not fully debugged
and verified at the time of manufacture.