How Is Breaking The 4 GHz Barrier Possible? Continued
The sSpec number is the best way to identify the Pentium D 805.
A CPU goes through many steps during the production process, which is why it also obtains a 2D-identification code.
To tell processors apart, each particular model is endowed with a special number. A version update isn't the only identifying characteristic when it comes to distinguishing among CPUs with the same processor name and clock speed, so CPUs may only be uniquely identified according to a group identifier, as with the sSpec numbers mentioned in the preceding table. Intel wants users to become familiar with these specification group numbers, which is why the company includes this information on the box the CPU is packed inside, as well as on the outside of the physical CPU device itself.
The last five symbols in the product code, which appear on the right side of the retail box, are how users can obtain the specification group number.
Because the 805 processor is labeled with the latest B0 core version but is identified only as a CPU with the specification number SL8ZH, anybody who wishes can obtain a processor that's functionally equivalent to the one we tested for this story. Naturally, this doesn't constitute a 100% guarantee that you'll be able to achieve the same exact overclocking speeds we did, of course...
