0347 2500+ Oddity

[drkCrix]

I just got my rma'd 2500+ back, first thing I noticed when I looked at the stepping code was that instead of the usual 4 letters after the 03XX there where only 3

AQZFA0347MPM

any ideas as to what this means, if anything

and 2nd how do I tell for sure that this cpu is locked? will there be burn marks in the L1 bridges or is the only sure fire way to find out, is by putting it into my system and testing it?

Thanks for any and all help,

Chris

[stamasd]

The only way to find out for sure if it's locked is to fire it up and try to change the multiplier in the bios. If it boots up with the new multiplier (chech if the speed is what you expected, because sometimes it will boot but with the default speed), then it's not locked. If it doesn't boot, or do weird things, or the speed doesn't change when you change the mult alone, then it's locked.

[webfreak]

Also, check this (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=244237&highlight=locked+processors+list) thread out for a list of locked and unlocked steppings. And welcome to the forums. :)

[c627627]

Many reports that new chips only have three of those letters but it doesn't matter -- it's not like we ever knew what they meant anyway, it's the first part where it says AQZFA0347 that's important.

[felinusz]

Older Palomino XP chips only had those three letters as well - MPM, and WPM being the ones I have seen. The stepping was etched right onto the core of them back then (week ~02XX).

I think the W - (MPMW, XXXW) - that always followed those last letters must have represented something useless and unnessacery that someone working for AMD decided didn't need to be there anymore.

Out of curiosity - what is the PCB color of the processor?

[drkCrix]

Brown

[wilson]

when you say locked, is it just the multiplier? what about the cpu's fsb?

[Emericana]

fsb cant be locked by the cpu multiplier can

[c627627]

Yes, well, check this out Emericana:

Originally posted by Gnufsh
Intel has a patent on a way to keep people from overclocking by raising the FSB...

[Emericana]

yet another reason why i will never buy intel lol i guess i was proven wrong... that BLOWS