| Jul 29, 2007 |
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Introduction: Getting Something For Nothing
I've always liked getting something for nothing. When Krispy Kreme donuts first opened its doors near my college, my roomates and I would stand in line for hours to get free donuts. When coupons for a free starbucks beverage showed up on the internet not too long ago, I developed a somewhat severe addiction to iced coffee (at least until they caught on, and stopped accepting coupons). Needless to say, when I first heard about how I could overclock my computer to get a free increase in performance I got goosebumps.
The overclocking community is a phenomenon born out of the age-old desire to get a lot for a little. Why pay $1000 for the top-of-the-line chip from Intel or AMD, when you can make a $300 chip perform just as well, if not better? Indeed, the reason why such performance increases are possible on chips marketed at these lower price points is because, often times, the $300 chip and the $1000 chip share the exact same core. A company like Intel markets its chips at several different price points. To the gaming enthusiest, rich with disposible income, Intel markets its most expensive, and highest performing products. To the average consumer, Intel markets a chip rated for far less performance. In order to save on manufacturing costs however Intel makes just one type of chip, which is then sold to both markets. But even though Intel makes just one type of chip, the quality of each individual chip can vary to some degree. Once the chips have been pressed from silicone wafers, each individual die is stress tested to determine how fast it is capable of running. During this "binning" process the highest quality processors (those whose dies have been pressed perfectly) are separated from the rest and sold under the flagship line from the premium bin. Lesser chips are sold with a locked multiplier at more reasonable prices in the "bargain bin". Fortunately for the overclocker, the limited demand for the expensive flagship processors combinded with gradual improvements in the manufacturing process means that high quality processors will begin to trickle down into the lower quality bins, especially as the processor line begins to mature.
Are You A Gambler?
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Until recently, finding a highly overclockable processor has always been a bit of a gamble. Go to any overclocking forum and you will soon discover that not all processors are created equal. For every lucky overclocker who manages to get 4ghz of raw power out of his humble 2.4ghz processor there are dozens of less fortunate overclockers who struggle to reach 3ghz with exactly the same setup. If we understand the binning process, this should be no surprise. Intel only guarantees 2.4ghz performance but sometimes you can get lucky and get a processor capable of much much more. One way to insure that you have a better chance of getting one of the good processors is to make sure you purchase a processor that was pressed later in the manufacturing process when many of the manufacturing kinks have been worked out and more premium chips have ended up in the bargain bin. |
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So how do you find these newer chips? Much like milk, Intel has branded its processors with a born on date that indicates, among other things, when the processor was made. This born on date is called a "stepping." With respect to the Intel's processors the stepping system consists of one letter (A-Z) and one number (0-9). As bugs are fixed and the manufacturing process is improved new processors are given a new "step." Minor fixes/changes are marked by a change in the number (1-9), whereas more major changes/improvements are marked by a change in the letter (A-Z). Generally speaking your chances of getting a better chip improve as the stepping goes up. A chip with a B0 stepping should be better than one with an A3 stepping, etc. |
Intel's Recent Price Breaks
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Unfortunately getting the latest and greatest version of the chip you want isn't always easy. When Intel revises its design and introduces a new step, it does not recall processors produced under previous steps, and distributers are likely to have a glut of processors in their inventory that they have to sell before they order more with the new and improved stepping. Case in point: recently, Intel moved its Core2Duo and Core2Quad line of chips to the G0 stepping in conjunction with the addition of the QX6850 to its flagship "Extreme" line of processors. The QX6850 is Intels latest and greatest. This four core 3.0 ghz monster boasts 8mb of L2 cache and is one of the first to have Intel's new 1333mhz FSB rating. Additionally, because it has been binned from the G0 stepping, it has an increased thermal efficiency which means it should have an increased overclock potential. Until the G0 stepping Intel's quad core processors have been far less overclockable than their dual core brothers maxing out at aproximately 3.2 ghz. Unfortunately, like all of the flagship line "Extreme" processors to come before it, the QX6850 has a breathtaking price to go along with its breathtaking performance. The beauty of Intel's marketing machine however is that with each new processor announcement, the prices for older processors drop significantly. The really exciting news about Intel's latest press release isn't the QX6850 at all, but rather the new sub-$300 price on Intel's older Q6600 quad-core processor. |
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How To Find A G0 Processor
But because the Q6600 has been around for a while, the chances of obtaining one that has been produced recently from the G0 stepped chips are incredibly slim. Most of the Q6600 chips available at the popular web retailers (Newegg, Mwave, etc) feature a B3 stepping and will most likely be limited in terms of overclock. Once they begin to re-order stock from Intel, the chances of receiving a G0 stepped chip will go up, but it still amounts to a bit of a crap shoot.
So what is the discerning consumer to do? You could go into a brick and morter shop like Fry's and ask the guy behind the counter to pull out each individual box so that you can check for the exact stepping you are looking for (Incidently Intel's code for the G0 stepping is SLACR). Or you could order you brand new G0 stepped processor from a retailer who specializes in getting their customers the exact processor they want. Enter Tankguys.biz. The boys over at Tankguys have decided to put power back in the hands of the consumer by guaranteeing that the Q6600 processor you order from them has the G0 stepping. The only downside to this solution is that you might have to wait just a bit longer, as the G0 stepped Q6600s have not yet hit the retail channel, but thankfully the boys over at Tankguys.biz are accepting pre-orders.
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