New 2.53ES, locked again :(

Hi people,
picked up a new 2.53ES chip for some "testing" last nite, hoped that after my last ES was locked I would be a bit more lucky with this one, but no, yet again its a locked sample
Anyway its still an OK chip - doing 3ghz easily enough, need to get better cooling though as I only have a DP5-613i Alu HSF, was fine for m 1.8A but not good enough for this chip. I have noticed that it doesnt do over 6000MIPS in sandra at 3ghz and I am sure my C1 stepping did at the same speed !
Anyway no s-code, but have some numbers - QLB2ES MALAY, L208A663-xxxx, I am sure someone will tell me what stepping and week it is?

Week 8 of this year. I bet it's a common B0 with that early date on it.

QLB2ES = s-spec. erm. except it doesn't start with an s.

you don't seem to have much luck with ES chips.
are you sure it's not the motherboard? you're the only person i know of who gets locked ES chips.

I'll try it in my P4B-533E but the guy I got it off was saying something about "silver samples" being different from production line samples or something. One comes in a box with retail fan etc, one doesnt. Both of mines are the ones that do so I presume that its these ones that are still locked...
He was talking about some new Intel Springdale stuff with ICH5 etc, one board codename "Rapid City!" will have ICH5 with S-ATA, Dual Channel DDR333, Overclocking functions!!, Black PCB etc etc, Intel have supposedly been listening to overclockers!