Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Jimbo View Post
The Barton processors originally came out with a max 'rating' of 2600. A year later that was up to 3200. I don't know how much you understand about semiconductor manufacturing, but the process tuning to get yields of certain parts is not the same as the chip design. So if they want to shift yield balance, they might do minor tweaks to increase yields of higher speed parts. If, on the other hand, they see a bigger volume need for low power chips, and there is a market for more than the bin split gives, they may adjust the process to increase those yields.

I think AMD is more interested in tuning the process for low power than for high speed.
DFM, process tweaks, etc. is all good but my point is that their is no way that a 4ghz Phenom II will only dissipate 90W at load. If you are implying that this first batch of PII are "tweaked for low power" then they must also be "tweaked for higher speed parts" as well since they are running at 4ghz with 90W?? The poof is in the pudding, if this chip could run at that speed with that wattage then we would already of seen it released as an FX chip regardless of what their tuning their process to do. $$$$$$