Stepping Codes.

So I am a computer enthusiast but the more and more I dig into the thick of things there is always one thing I don't completeley understand. In this case, stepping codes are the culprit. What would be the difference between me buying an amd 3500+ with a bad stepping code as opposed to a good one? Tis hard for myself to comprehend without blood shooting out of my nose. Help, I do not like hemorages.

Crap wrong section, was not thinking at all. Srys

Tough to see which stepping for the 3500+ is the best. You usually don't get a choice on which stepping you want, and considering its the 3500+, it's tough to see which would be the best stepping. I'd say just get any 3500+, they should all perform about the same.

But Darksparks, I don't fully understand the logic behind stepping codes in the first place. Can you explain what exactly they are?

The steppijg codes tell you basic information, like the week of manufacture. (0536=week 36 of year 2005) While the letters represent the day, and other thing, more spisific. There is a thread somewhere explaning what all the letters mean. But I'm not sure where it is.

Zewt said:

But Darksparks, I don't fully understand the logic behind stepping codes in the first place. Can you explain what exactly they are?

Click to expand...

Certain Steppings have been seen to consistently overclock higher than others. In other words, chips made during a specific week, and a specific factory, may perform better than others of the same type made elsewhere during different weeks.

The problem in most cases is that larger retailers cannot tell you the stepping of their chips before you buy one. So your best bet is to either hunt down a specific stepping from a small seller such as Tankguys.com, or take your chances from a large retailer and research your stepping after you get it. The stepping is printed on top of the chip.

I am not sure which steppings are the best for that particular chip, but a quick search around here and other overlocking forums should give you some results to choose from. Just remember that steppings are not a guarantee of specific performance. They are more of a ballpark estimate for how each chip should perform under similar OC configs.

GL!