Intel's new plan charges you to activate your CPU's latent features
We can expect Intel to comment on this, as they probably have some 'splainin' to do. A sharp-eyed Engadget reader saw a $50 card at Best Buy that allows a consumer to increase performance on their Pentium G6951 CPU by unlocking extra threads and cache.
The product says it's for the Gateway SX2841-09e, but it appears this is a pilot program running against the G6951 Processors.
To "unlock" the performance, you have to download a program, and run it on your system within 24 hours. We'd wonder what would happen if, for example, your broadband or power were out long enough so you missed that window. It's obvious this isn't quite ready for a full rollout. Intel's site has a FAQ that eventually points to a page that tells you where to buy systems with upgradeable CPUs: the system listed is System XYZ, which can be bought at Retailer 1, Retailer 2, and Retailer 3.
