.09 Athlon 64: Value, Speed and Overclocking
by Wesley Fink on October 14, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
In the last several weeks, AMD has quietly introduced several Athlon 64 processors in the new 90nm die-shrink. The new Socket 939 3000+, 3200+, and 3500+ are based on the new Winchester core. They are also the first Athlon 64 processors to become available at speeds below 3500+ in Socket 939. This is very important, since the biggest news is the fact that the price of entry for a Socket 939 processor is now less than $200. Of course, a successful die-shrink and lower costs are interrelated, and in this case, the model seems to be working as we would expect.
Nothing has really changed on the outside, but if you can find a 3000+ or 3200+ in Socket 939, you can be confident that it is the new 90nm version. Since 3500+ is produced in both 90nm and 130nm versions, you will need to ask if it is a 90nm part. Most resellers that have the new 90nm Athlon 64 have been prominently advertising them.
The latest version 1.24 of CPU-Z can be downloaded at www.cpuid.com. Version 1.24 correctly identifies the die-shrink (.09), the core (Winchester), and the Revision (DH8-D0). Earlier versions of CPU-Z don't recognize the new processors, so make certain that you are using Version 1.24 or later.
A late 3800+ is identified, for comparison, as a NewCastle core, .13 process, and Revision DH7-CG.
There has been a lot of speculation about how important this die-shrink is to AMD. Most of this has revolved around the higher yield and lower cost of production for the smaller chip. Since Intel has already moved to .09, analysts believed AMD needed the yields and lower cost of the .09 shrink to effectively compete with Intel on a cost basis.
There are also potential advantages to the end-user from the die-shrink. These include lower power consumption, cooler processor operation, and greater headroom for higher overclocking. It is these advantages that will interest most of you. We will take a closer look in this review at whether these advantages are realized.
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Live - Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - link
Great read!Good work Wesley Fink.
I looks like I am finally getting close to being able to upgrade my athlon xp setup without breaking the bank and get a real performance boost I feel the earlier A64 cpus and mobos lacked. To bad the PCIe problem is still around. I dont want an upgrade that requires a new motherboard with my next GPU purchase.
toNka64 - Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - link
I currently have an A64 3200 Clawhammer on a VIA K8T800, so OCing is a no go without a working AGP/PCI lock. I have a Coolmax Taurus 400w PSU and OCZ EL Platinum 1GB (2x512) memory (2-3-2-5).If I upgraded my mobo to the Neo2 and my CPU to the 300+, do you think i could hit 2.6GHz with my current memory and PSU?
Doormat - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
Yea, I'm beginning to think I should get a 3200, a conservative OC would be 2.5GHz at 10x250. And DDR500 isnt that hard to get a hold of. Plus it fits in nicely with a 1GHz hypertransport bus.BBoe - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
Is this FSB of 290 for reals? It really sounds like a big leap from the 250 or 261.PrinceGaz - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
People who want the best performance and value ought to get the 3200+ instead of the 3000+ as it not only stands a better chance of reaching something like 2610MHz than the 3000+, but it should do so at a slightly lower voltage.More importantly, the memory with the 3200+ could run 1:1 at 261x10 instead of the 290x9 required by the 3000+. Even though the 3200+ will be a little more expensive than the 3000+, theres a much better chance of finding reasonably priced memory which can run at DDR522 with good timings, than there is of memory that can manage DDR580. At least with the 3200+ you've got the choice of a 9x or 10x multiplier to get the best out of your memory.
rjm55 - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
I know you used OCZ with Samsung TCCD for this review, but you have said in past reviews that any TCCD will come close to these memory results. That means you can choose Samsung TCCD from Corsair, Mushkin, Kingston, OCZ, Geil, PQI, and probably others. Crucial Ballistix is another choice from your Athlon 64 memory tests. Those concerned about Value ought to shop all the TCCD brands and Crucial Ballistix, because some are cheaper than others.Wesley Fink - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
#62 - The MSI K8N Neo2 can be set to Auto, 100, 133, 166, 200 (DDR200,266,333,400 or 1:2.2:3,5:6,1:1). With these ratios you could run 290 FSB with a 2:3 ratio (266) and memory would be at DDR387, at 5:6 (333) mem would be running at DDR482.ThePlagiarmaster - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
Wesley:Could you answer my #43 post about memory ratios on the board you tested with?
Thanks
PrinceGaz - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
#58- tha major selling point of nForce 4 will be PCIe support, if you don't want PCIe then get an nForce3 instead. The Inquirer claim to have a piccy of MSI's new nForce4 S939 board athttp://www.theinquirer.net/?article=19026
That is presumably the successor of the popular K8N Neo2 Platinum. Its a shame it only has two PCIe x1 sockets and still has four old PCI sockets, I'd have liked to see at least three PCIe x1 and just a couple of PCI for legacy support.
ciwell - Friday, October 15, 2004 - link
Can you address the RAM question posted above?