date codes

[bluemarble]

Ok How do I work out date codes or where can i go to find out.

[gshv]

On AMD processors and processors of some other manufacturers like Via, IDT, etc, look for 4 digit number that starts with 7, 8, 9 or 0, and has the third digit in the range from 0 to 5. The number may be surrounded by letters. The first two digits are last two digits of the year, and the third and forth digits are a week number when the CPU was manufactured. For example, on the picture below there is a 4-digit number "0617" on the third line:

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/L_AMD-ADA3800IAA4CN%20(top).jpg

If datecode starts with 0 then it means it was made in year 2000 or later. On the picture above the processor was manufactured in 2006.

On Intel chips datecode is a part of an FPO number. This is not actually a number, it may contain alphanumeric characters and it looks like this:

ABCCDDDD

Where:
A - test site. This may be a number or a letter.
B - last digit of the year
CC - Week number when the processor was manufactured
DDDD - lot number

For example, a processor with FPO number L1521234 was manufactured on 52th week in 1981 or 1991 or 2001.

FPO number may include extra letters after it (for example core stepping), or a 4-digit serial number: L9160249-0941

Gennadiy