I have a Dell XPS 7590, with an Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK CPU @ 2.40GHZ processor. The expected number of cores for this device are 8 with 16 threads. However, neither in the BIOS nor the OS (I'm running PopOS) does it show 8/16. Instead it shows 7/14. Suggesting that a core is dead. I've never encountered this problem before. Can just a single core die?
Best Answer
Yes, a single core on a CPU can die. It is unusual for it to manifest this way, usually it would cause instability rather than be outright missing. Pop the CPU out and look for bent pins in the socket or thermal paste gumming up some of the pads on the bottom of the CPU.