Tech
Pentium 4 v Athlon XP
Intel has upgraded the Pentium 4 architecture to support a 533MHz frontside bus. Check out our comprehensive benchmark tests to see how this affects the balance of power with AMD.
Intel has recently launched three new processors that feature a 533MHz frontside bus (FSB), compared to the previous generation’s 400MHz FSB. The new flagship CPU is clocked at 2,533MHz, or 2.53GHz, and there are also new 533MHz-bus Pentium 4s running at 2,400MHz (2.4GHz) and 2,266MHz (2.26GHz).
In our benchmark tests, which were performed by ZDNet Germany's Kai Schmerer, the new 2,533MHz Pentium 4 with 533MHz FSB performs very well, heading the rankings in all but a few cases. Only when running mainstream applications and some Internet-related tasks does AMD’s top-of-the-range Athlon XP/2100+ retain an edge.
To accompany its new Pentium 4 processors, Intel has released a new chipset, the 850E, that supports the 533MHz FSB and Rambus memory. Further 533MHz-bus P4 chipsets are expected in May that will provide support for cheaper DDR memory.
| Intel's 533MHz-bus Pentium 4s | |||
| Processor | P4/2533 | P4/2400 | P4/2266 |
| Codename | Northwood | Northwood | Northwood |
| Frontside bus speed (MHz) | 533 | 533 | 533 |
| Level 1 cache (KB) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Level 2 cache (KB) | 512 | 512 | 512 |
| Fabrication process (microns) | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.13 |
| Die size (mm2) | 146 | 146 | 146 |
| Voltage (V) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Power consumption (W) | 59.3 | 57.8 | 56 |
| Price ($) | 673 | 562 | 423 |