AMD's Turbo Core

AMD has released a bit more information on its upcoming six-core Phenom II X6 processor (codenamed Thuban) and revealing its take on automated overclocking, dubbed Turbo Core.  ...  The general idea behind Turbo Core (and Turbo Boost) is that many applications don't take full advantage of multicore processors, leaving quite a bit of wasted potential as unused cores lie dormant. Turbo Core and Turbo Boost propose to fill in that gap, increasing performance of those cores that are in use, while maintaining the chip's particular power and heat thresholds. In the upcoming Phenom II X6, the Turbo Core feature will kick in when three or more cores aren't being used, automatically overclocking the cores that aren't idle up to a reported 500MHz.  http://www.pcworld.com/article/193791/amd_turbo_core.html