Originally posted by: Shimmishim
Originally posted by: bjc112
Originally posted by: brentpresley
SPEED BINNING:
All cpus are tested at the factory after they are cut from the silicon. This usually happens before they are mounted onto the pin grid array packages. During this testing, AMD/Intel/whomever can run enough tests to get a good idea what the max stable speed at a certain voltage is for each chip. Due to impurities in the silicon, manufacturing defects, etc., some CPUs are better than others and will run at higher speeds. Naturally, AMD would set these chips aside to sell as their fastest chips (currently FX-55s and 4000+s). If a chip fails at the highest speed, it is tested one step down . . . and so forth.
Speed binning usually occurs when processors are just released and the factory is having trouble meeting demand on it's highest level chips. Later on, when the manufacturing process has been further tweaked, lots of chips will pass at the highest grade. Many more than AMD can sell. Some of these "good" chips will then be sold at lower speed grades, even though they can run at the full 4000+ speed (or sometimes higher). As overclockers, this is what we are all hoping for.
Since the Venice revision of the A64 core contains significant improvements designed specifically to increase yields at higher speeds, we have all been hoping that even the lowest graded Venice chips would overclock well.
Good post..
I think it pretty much comes down to this, AMD must realize the if a majority of the chips are hitting 2.4l2.5l2.6 why sell them @ 1.8ghz?
Especially when most of those 2.4's can be had on default volts.
Might as well make some extra money, why would they give away such LARGE amounts of performance? For free
i might be totally wrong...
but i think they did it for the budget conscious consumer...
for example... they produce 99 chips out of 100 capable of 2.8 ghz.... but try to sell them for $1000.... are they going to sell many? some i'm sure...
but lower the speed to 1.8 ghz, top lock the mult at 9x and sell these babies for $130... would people buy these chips? yes!
i'm guessing from the way things work out that they end up selling more lower speed processors (3000/3200+) than high end (4000+/FX55) and end up making more money off the lower speed ones even though they can be clocked to 2.8
then again you have to remember that not everyone overclocks!