Odd core-count CPUs

[tikker]

Another topic just now got me wondering: why are there no CPUs with odd core counts anymore? (Or so little that I do not know of). I know there were the Phenom X3s, for example. I can see why we don't actively produce these things. What made me think about this, is when a single core on a six core die breaks. Why not make it a 5 core CPU instead of a 4 core?

 

Are they laid out  and built in such a way that they communicate or are addressed in pairs? Or are they put "in series"? (i.e. one won't work without the other) I assume scalable software doesn't care whether it has 4 vs. 5, or 6 vs. 7 cores. Or is just one core breaking neatly a special case in its own way  

[PlayStation 2]

The Phenom and Athlon II X3s just happened because... it kinda worked.

Weird core count CPUs aren't necessary anymore, frankly.

[Mira Yurizaki]

It would make sense to do this if you're struggling to have product to sell. But at the same time, if you have a significant amount of defects from your target product like this, you should probably figure out why there are so many defects and correct them. If you let this slide, then it'll rear it's ugly head later.

[tikker]

6 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

The Phenom and Athlon II X3s just happened because... it kinda worked.

Weird core count CPUs aren't necessary anymore, frankly.

Aww, no 3 core i3, 5 core i5? 

3 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

It would make sense to do this if you're struggling to have product to sell. But at the same time, if you have a significant amount of defects from your target product like this, you should probably figure out why there are so many defects and correct them. If you let this slide, then it'll rear it's ugly head later.

Ah yeah reliability argument makes sense. You don't want a sort-of-broken thing out there.

 

I guess I can also imagine the marketing "nightmare" of Intel having actual 3, 5, and 7 core CPUs in their i3/5/7 lineup lol.

[Princess Luna]

As far as I am concerned those 3 cores AMD chips were simply quad-cores with a disabled core due to manufacturing issues.

[Electronics Wizardy]

There was a 15 core intel ivybridge chip by intel. It was a 5x3 layout of cores, so it made sense here.

[GloriousPain]

2 hours ago, Princess Cadence said:

As far as I am concerned those 3 cores AMD chips were simply quad-cores with a disabled core due to manufacturing issues.

I mean isn't that basically why  almost all lower end chips are themselves? A large majority of lower end chips are just higher end chips with parts either cut off or disabled due to manufacturing issues.

[tikker]

9 hours ago, Princess Cadence said:

As far as I am concerned those 3 cores AMD chips were simply quad-cores with a disabled core due to manufacturing issues.

 

7 hours ago, GloriousPain said:

I mean isn't that basically why  almost all lower end chips are themselves? A large majority of lower end chips are just higher end chips with parts either cut off or disabled due to manufacturing issues.

Yeah that's what I meant, surely there are chips with only  3 or 5 working cores? But then @M.Yurizaki makes a good point, if that happens so often you need to sell them as so, there's probably something to improve during production.

[GloriousPain]

20 hours ago, tikker said:

Yeah that's what I meant, surely there are chips with only  3 or 5 working cores? But then @M.Yurizaki makes a good point, if that happens so often you need to sell them as so, there's probably something to improve during production.

undoubtedly... and No Yurizaki doesn't really make a point in this instance. Because if that was the case there'd only be top end products because well the majority of lower end products are just that...

 

Like say with the "traditional" i-series setup...

 

i7; 4c-8t

 

i5; 4c-4t

 

i3; 2c-4t

 

Pentium; 2c-2t

 

I'ma just point out they're almost all originally supposed to be i7s, just most don't actually succeed; so intel lowers the price and tries to sell what would otherwise be waste... the thing with why they don't do say a 3c-3t i4 or a 3c-6t i6 is simply because it'd be hard to make appropriate price brackets and distinctions between product segments