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We tested our
AMD Athlon XP 2600+ using a VIA KT333 based motherboard from
EPoX, the EP-8K3A+, and a 512MB stick of Corsair PC3200 DDR
RAM. After we reviewed the Athlon XP 2200+ back in
June, some of our readers wondered if the Gigabyte
motherboard, Taisol cooler and TwinMos memory we used to
test the processor hindered its ability to truly shine.
Needless to say, we listened to their concerns, and took
action.
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The
Test System's Major Components |
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First Rate
Supporting Cast |
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With the Athlon XP 2600+, we
wanted to appease our readers, and tested this CPU with
nothing but high-end supporting hardware. The first
step we took was to replace the two TwinMos 256MB PC2700
memory modules we used last time around,
with a single 512MB
PC3200 DDR module from Corsair. This particular module
is capable of running at aggressive memory timings, at clock
speeds well over 166MHz. At this same clock speed, the TwinMos modules we
replaced ran at 2.5-3-6-3 timings with a 2T command rate,
while this Corsair module runs at 2-2-5-2 timings with a 1T
command rate.
We also planned on replacing the
Gigabyte motherboard we used in the 2200+ review.
Luckily, AMD supplied us with an EPoX EP-8K3A+ motherboard,
which is a favorite amongst the enthusiast community because
of its top-notch performance and its abundant overclocking
tools. The mostly aluminum Taisol cooler that shipped
with the 2600+ was also replaced. Taking its place is
an all copper ThermalTake Volcano 7+, equipped with a speedy
6000RPM fan. As you'll see later in this review, these
components proved to be excellent performers, when coupled
with the Athlon XP 2600+.
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The
Athlon XP 2600+ Exposed |
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The Inner Workings |
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We used WCPUID to get a "closer
look" at our CPU. As you can see the AMD Athlon
XP
2600+ is running at an actual clock speed of 2133MHz
(2138MHz in the screenshot above due to the aggressive
timings of the EP-8K3A+ motherboard). This clock speed is
attained by using a multiplier of 16 and a front side bus of
133MHz (16x133=2133). Also visible above are the
CacheID information, the Standard feature flags and the
Enhanced feature flags. The CacheID shot shows the Athlon XP
has 64K of 2-Way set associative Instruction L1 cache, 64K
of 2-Way set associative data L1 cache and 256K of full
speed, 16-Way set associative L2 cache. If you add all
that up, you get a grand total of 384K of effective on-die
cache. The next evolutionary step for the Athlon core
is codenamed "Barton", which will increase the on-die cache
to 512K. This extra on-die cache should give the
Athlons a bit of a speed boost, hopefully we'll see these
processors before the end of the year.
The Athlon XP 2600+ we tested
seemed to run relatively cool, considering its high clock
speed. The 2200+ we tested back in June consistently ran between 44
and 50 degrees Celsius, but the 2600+ we've got today hovered between 35 and
39 degrees Celsius. Our methods for measuring
temperature were by no means "scientific" though, and this
time around we're using a much better cooler, which should
account for some of the difference. The additional 4
square millimeters of contact area probably helps a bit as
well. Regardless, the
difference seemed rather substantial, so I queried our
contact at AMD as to whether or not the changes made to core
had a significant impact on temperature. His response
was, "I don't have a technical explanation other than our
engineers have tweaked the core with all that we've
discussed. The end result was a cooler, faster CPU."
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Overclocking
The
2600+ |
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Hoping For the
Best |
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In June, when we tried to
overclock the Athlon XP 2200+, we weren't exactly pleased
with the results. We were only able to bump our
particular CPU up to a stable 1917MHz, a paltry 6.5%
overclock. Other sites had reported similar results,
which led to widespread speculation that the "Thoroughbred"
core wasn't going to scale as high as we, or AMD, would have
liked. That may have been the case with the original
revision of the core, but it's not with this one! We
raised the voltage to the processor's core to 1.8v and
proceeded to raise the FSB until the system was no longer
stable. Our Athlon XP 2600+ booted into Windows XP
with a 155MHz FSB, or 2480MHz! Unfortunately, at this
clock speed the system wasn't completely stable, so we
slowly lowered the FSB until it was. The "sweet spot"
for our particular CPU turned out to be 2413MHz (16x151MHz
FSB), a full 280MHz over the default clock speed! With
a higher core voltage and some better cooling, we probably
could have taken the CPU even higher. It's looking
like there is some definite headroom left in this new CPU.
We played Quake 3 for about 20
minutes with the CPU overclocked and were pleased to see our Athlon XP had only
reached 50 degrees Celsius. With good cooling, keeping
an Athlon XP 2600+ running well within spec, even when
overclocked, should not a problem. Whether or not our
overclocking results turn out to be typical for this new
revision of the "Thoroughbred" core remains to be seen, but
our initial results are very promising. Hardcore
overclockers will also be happy to see the L1 traces on the
Athlon XP 2600+ appear to be connected from the factory.
Bridging the fifth L3 trace should be the only step needed
to unlock this CPU. We didn't attempt to unlock our
CPU just yet, as soon as we do, we'll let you know. On to
the Benchmarks!
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