Using the High Speed PC AMD Unlocking Kit

Most of us want more power out of our system. Why pay more? Overclocking allows us to increase CPU speed without buying a new chip. How does this work? CPUs are rated below their max potential for speed. Why do this? It's simple; when a company sells a product, they do not want it to fail on the consumer. Therefore, they make sure that a little old lady who lives in Phoenix can run her PC during the summer months, without air conditioning, while her stock cooler is filled with dust ,and her cheap Compaq board is supplying too much voltage to the processor. AMD builds in a tolerance to accommodate this user. Overclocking is running at the top of this tolerance level. To do this, proper cooling must be in place. Voltages will have to be increased to add the necessary power for the increase in speed.

AMD and Intel both lock their chips to prevent users from cranking up the MHz or multiplier in their BIOS. AMD, probably in their attempts to gain market advantage over Intel, provides an easy way to unlock the chip. Simply draw a conductive line across each of the L1 bridges and you are good to go. That sounds easy but can be quite a task without the proper equipment. Electronics guys know of a 100 easy ways to do this but for the rest of us High Speed PC's unlocking kit is a preferred way to achieve this goal with very little effort.

The Kit:

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The AMD unlocking kit includes everything that is needed to unlock the chip. It also, includes items to make the job easy. These items are: a pin for spreading the conductive compound across the bridges, cleaning fluid to erase mistakes, a mirror to zoom in on what you are doing, and pads to cover areas that conductive compounds must not touch.

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Using the Kit:

The instructions are a bit confusing. They tell you what to do in multiple places so it is important to completely read them before starting. I will give a guide below of how I did this process. This is only a guide to show the process with High Speed PC's unlocking kit.

The paper squares included with the kit are used first. Place the squares over the bridges that are not going to be bridged, L2, L3, and L4. Covering the other bridges ensures against screwing up the other bridges if you are a little messy with the conductive grease.

Next, use a pencil eraser to clean off the L1 bridges.

Then, dip the needle into the gap filler. The gap filler is a non-conductive substance and feels like thermal paste. A laser thin gap exists from where the factory laser put a groove between the bridges. Gap filler will fill this gap. Use a small amount of it. Spread it over the L1 bridges. Use your finger to clean off the excess. To clean off the spots on the L1 bridges use a piece of tape. I recommend clear Scotch tape, so you can see the bridges. Push down gently over the bridges where the tape rests with the pin, not in the valley between the dots. Remove the tape to remove the gap filler.

Finally, dip a clean needled into the conductive grease. The grease will be spread from one side of the bridge to the other. Do not over load the bridge, use a tiny amount of gap filler.

Because High Speed PC's unlocking kit contains so many items, there is less fear of frying a chip. Use the magnifying glass to check your work closely. This magnifying glass enlarges only about 5 times. I would use a different one if you own a good one.

If you made an error, simply use the cleaning solution to clean off all the old stuff. Then start again, frustrating, but so is a processor that doesn't work.

Conclusion:

If you want to unlock your AMD XP processor, I highly recommend High Speed PC's unlocking kit. The instructions are rough to read but it does make the job easier. This unlocking kit also will help you clean up mistakes. If you are very good with electronics then you probably will not need a kit at all.