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A couple of questions about CPU steppings and binning

R

RaynorWolfcastle

Diamond Member
Q1 - CPU steppings: What exactly is the difference between two steppings of a chip? I imagine it has something to do with making minor changes to the process, but what kind of changes are typical? How do those changes help a chip achieve higher freqs?

Q2 - CPU binning: When Intel and AMD 'bin' a certain chip for a certain speed, do they only test it for stability at a certain speed or do they also take heat output into account? Do 2 same stepping CPU's that function at the same frequency generate necessarily generate the same amount of heat?


-Ice
 
A1. CPU steppings are slightly different versions of the same processor, they have been changed to increase yield and such..., but it's the same chip, got it? They fix minor bottlenecks, allowing the chip to acheive higher frequency with higher yields....

A2. I'm not sure what you are asking.... do you mean when they say, "this processor is to run at X speed" and test it for stability(with their super expensive equipment)...... Same stepping or different stepping CPUs should all output about the same amount of heat, as these changes between stepping are only minor...


Besides, this, maybe pm can help us all out. 😉

zs
 
OK, maybe I didn't express myself clearly enough in question 1 but I was looking for something more specific and technical than "it's a change in the mask used". What kind of changes are made to the mask? I'm curious as to what they could change between steppings to increase the yield.

-Ice
 
pm did a great reply to this in the CPU and marketing thread (forgot the title) a bit back.

Anyway, basically what he said was that when a processor is released, some parts will work at 2Ghz and some will work at 2.3 Ghz and some will work at 1.7Ghz. When a new stepping is releases, they redesign the part that is slowing the entire thing down so you get higher yields.

Do a search for the thread though.
 
A stepping can mean a number of performace enhancements to the overall die. It could be things like logic gate workarounds, interconnect rerouting, improved transitor redesign at the circuit level, or maybe a modification to the actual process steps... like photomask changes, doping modifications, etc. The list of possible improvements to make the die run faster and more effieciently is almost endless.

Usually, a certain number of improvements must be met in order for the company to justify releasing a new stepping for a cpu.
 

Q2 - CPU binning: When Intel and AMD 'bin' a certain chip for a certain speed, do they only test it for stability at a certain speed or do they also take heat output into account? Do 2 same stepping CPU's that function at the same frequency generate necessarily generate the same amount of heat?


-Ice[/i] >>



CPUs are tested for stability under a variety of conditions such as freezing cold, and very high temperatures at maximum operation for extended periods of time. After determining the maximum stable frequency a processor will run at reliably they usually knock 10% or so off the speed and mark it as that. There are specifications for temperature operation in which the processors must perform but it is entirely possible for two processors binned for the same speed to produce heat at slightly different rates.
 


<< Q2 - CPU binning: When Intel and AMD 'bin' a certain chip for a certain speed, do they only test it for stability at a certain speed or do they also take heat output into account? Do 2 same stepping CPU's that function at the same frequency generate necessarily generate the same amount of heat?


-Ice >>



CPUs are tested for stability under a variety of conditions such as freezing cold, and very high temperatures at maximum operation for extended periods of time. After determining the maximum stable frequency a processor will run at reliably they usually knock 10% or so off the speed and mark it as that. There are specifications for temperature operation in which the processors must perform but it is entirely possible for two processors binned for the same speed to produce heat at slightly different rates.[/i] >>


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Is this why(most of the time) us overclockers can usually get an increase, b/c they rate the chip 10% less..... w00t! never knew that!

zs
 
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