Processor Identification

Q. What do the AMD K6 chip markings mean?

A. What do the AMD K6 chip markings mean?

Under the AMD logo is the product name. In the case of the AMD K6 series, the product name reads AMD-K6.

Under the product name is the ordering part number. The ordering part number includes the operating frequency. A K6/233MHz will read 233. A K6/200MHz will read "200", etc.

Next to the operating frequency you will find a single letter that identifies the package type. Currently there is only one. This letter is A. The A means that the chip has a 321 pin Ceramic Pin Grid Array.

Next to the package type you will find a single letter that identifies the operating voltage. The two values that for this are the following:

• L - 2.755V to 3.045V Core and 3.135V - 3.6V I/O
• N - 3.1V to 3.3V Core and 3.134V to 3.6V I/O
• P - 3.3V core and 3.3V I/O

The last letter on in the ordering part number is the ID for the maximum case temperature for the chip. An "R" means that the maximum case temperature is 70 degrees Celsius.

Under the ordering part number is the core voltage. Valid values are 2.9V, 3.2V, and 3.3V. Sometimes the I/O voltage is also included.

Under the voltage is the revision and date code. The first character reveals the K6 stepping. Current valid values are A,B, and C.

The next 4 values are the month and year that the processor was manufactured.

The next 3 letters are the K6 revision.

Q. What is the difference between an AMD K6 boxed and tray processor?

A. The boxed K6 is a shrink-wrapped retail box that includes a K6 with a qualified heatsink/fan combo affixed and a three year warrantee. It looks like something that you would pick up off the shelf at your local CompUSA store.

The boxed processor program was implemented by AMD so they could ensure that customers received high quality AMD products and did not have to worry about receiving a remarked or OEM processor.

Individual tray units do not include a heatsink/fan and have a one year warrantee. These parts come from the retail channel.

The retail channel is handled through authorized distributors who purchase in quantities of perhaps 10,000 or more per month directly from AMD. These distributors then sell to authorized resellers who in return sell to the consumer.

In all cases, the warranty provided by AMD covers the person or organization that bought the processor directly from AMD. AMD's standard warranty covers a one-year period. If your vendor purchased through the authorized channels, they are equipped to handle the full AMD warranty. They can service your warranty needs directly. This means your warranty is only as good as the company or individual you are buying from!

My recommendation is to buy a boxed version of the K6 because you know exactly what you are getting. Boxed processors cost more than individual tray units because of the increased overhead associated with them, but it is a small price to pay for peace of mind. If you factor in the cost of the heatsink/fan combo required for the tray processor (assuming that you don’t already own a heatsink/fan), the cost advantage of the tray unit may disappear.

Q. What are the risks associated with buying an OEM processor?

A. Have you ever done a Pricewatch search of AMD K6 prices and wondered why the company included OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) in the description of the product. Do you know what OEM means? Its definition is very important.

Semiconductor manufacturers, including AMD, have two distribution channels. The first is the OEM channel, and the other is the retail channel.

An OEM product is intended to be sold as part of a complete system rather than as separate components. This is the definition. The OEM channel provides the manufacturer with the most revenue, and provides the most security in terms of their finances. This is because the OEMs have contracts, which guarantee huge monthly purchases for up to 12 months in advance, and allows the manufacturers to offer much better pricing to the OEMs (sort of like magazine subscriptions vs. newsstand purchases).

The retail channel is handled through authorized distributors who purchase in quantities of perhaps 10,000 or more per month. These distributors then sell to those who wish to sell as authorized resellers. Obviously, this market is very volatile and price sensitive which requires that the manufacturer charge a higher price (again, use the magazine analogy above).

Since OEMs are agreeing to quantities many months in advance, there is a strong possibility of over or under purchasing for a given month. To combat this, an unauthorized and unregulated channel has emerged, which is called the 'grey market'.

What happens is that the OEM makes a contract which guarantees they will purchase more product than they could possibly use and then they dump the excess to brokers at close to their cost. These brokers then peddle the product to resellers who are trying to compete in the retail market, providing a minimal warranty (30 days, usually) and a very low price.

One very important point to understand here is how the warranty is handled. For OEMs, they only get a 30 day warranty - any additional warranty is handled by themselves. This is the price they pay for getting a lower purchase price. On the other hand, the retail channel typically receives a one year warranty as compensation for their higher price. What must be understood is that in all cases the warranty is not between the end user and the manufacturer, it is between the end user and the reseller.

The grey market is essentially driven via the brokers, and these brokers are usually only getting a dollar or two per item in profit. This means that they must sell in huge quantities to stay profitable. These people are also not usually experts in what they sell, but are just following the trends of the industry. Of course, some of them have very little integrity, and will do anything to make a buck. Therefore, it is quite easy for an unscrupulous company or individual to sell remarked product to a broker, who then distributes this product to their regular customers.

What this all means is that a reputable company may unwittingly buy a remarked processor, and sell it to you - all the time believing they are giving you a good deal. At this point, the warranty issue becomes very important. Since the warranty is between the customer and the reseller, any remarked or fake product must be returned to the reseller. The reseller must then return it to the broker, who then must return it to their source.

Now, consider the fact that an OEM only gets a 30 day warranty. Since the OEM purchases once per month, by the time the product is sold to the broker, the 30 day warranty has expired. Now the broker essentially has no warranty from the manufacturer, which is obviously passed right down to the consumer. Therefore, when you buy grey market - you are not getting a manufacturers warranty, but a reseller's warranty. This means your warranty is only as good as the reseller you are buying from!

So does this mean that you will definitely get a re-mark if you buy grey market? Obviously not, since there are a great many real processors being dumped by OEMs as well. What it does mean is that if you buy from an authorized distributor you will absolutely *not* get a re-mark, but if you buy grey market you have a good chance of getting one. The question is, how much is this certainty worth to you? How much is warranty worth to you?

You may or may not care about warranty, but recognize that if the processor fails and you have no warranty, you will have essentially thrown your money away.

When you are buying a processor, ask if the vendor purchases through authorized distributors and what their warranty is. If they say they do buy authorized, then their warranty should be one full year. If they are not buying through authorized sources, find out how they will handle the situation if you get a re-marked processor, and what precautions they have taken to ensure their product is not remarked.

Think of it this way. If you buy a K6-166 that is remarked as a 200MHz, then you will be overclocking it when you plug it in. Since you could have purchased a 166MHz for about $50 less than the cheapest 200MHz and overclocked it to 200MHz anyways, you just got ripped off when you were absolutely convinced you got the best deal around!

To sum up, here are a few items to look for:

• 30 day warranty - this is a sure indication of a grey market product
• Cash Only policy - this is intended to prevent you from getting your money back if the product turns out to be a re-mark or defective.
• Extremely low price - this is the trademark of the scam artist. Don't make the mistake of assuming the lowest priced vendor is the most honest.

Large portions of this article were reprinted with the express permission of Dean Kent