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AMD 2500+ Socket A CPUs Compared
SuperPuppy writes "Hardcoreware.net has
rounded up
three 2500+ Socket A processors from AMD. An AthlonXP, based on the Barton core
(this particular one predates the locked multipliers we've been seeing lately),
a Mobile Athlon, based on the Barton SOI, and the new Sempron, which is based
on the Tbred core. Each processor differs in clock frequency and cache size, but most
importantly, the Mobile Athlon takes up a LOT less juice than either of the
other two, and is therefore a remarkable performer in terms of overclocking. The
Sempron was quite disappointing on all fronts but price."
The next revolution might be when we get ram and bus speed up to the current CPU speeds. I can only imagine how blazingly fast a computer
with enough ram bandwidth and the CPU could fetch data from the RAM in
the speed of the CPU...
--
Just my $.02 , may I have them back please.
The Mobile Barton is basically the cream of the crop in terms of Bartons. They take the chips that will run the highest speeds on the lowest voltages, and sell them as Mobiles. Of course you can buy one, put it in a desktop PC, and they will often overclock massively--most 2500+s easily hit 2.5Ghz and will often reach 2.6-2.8Ghz... on pretty standard air cooling! The only problem with this is getting RAM that will run that fast... in which case two 256MB sticks of BH-5 running at 2-2-2-5 are your best bet :).
Fresh from the Google Cache.
Take care.
Ken.
old review.. from 13/09.. not new?
So what was going to be a relatively easy summary has now become a little bit more convoluted thanks to the extreme overclocking ability of the Mobile Athlon chip.
Basically in short we can conclude the following.
- If you're looking to run at straight out of the box stock speeds, then going for the Athlon XP 2500+ should be a no brainer. The XP either beats or almost matches the Mobile chip in every benchmark and can be had at a lower price
- If however you're a tweaker, a freaker, a mad cookie eater, then by all means spend that extra four bones that is burning a hole in your pocket and pick up a Mobile Athlon chip (and as you can see above, we found it for the exact same price as the standard Barton). Even if by some chance you get a dud in the overclocking department you'll still have a chip that can easily run at stock XP speeds all the while requiring MUCH less voltage which will enable you to have a quiet if not super fast gaming system.
- Finally, if you're looking at the Sempron do it only if you absolutely cannot afford that extra ten bucks that it's going to cost you to move up to a Barton based XP processor. Though admittedly marketed at the low end internet/email usage market, AMD 2500+ Performance Rating system just doesn't hold up here. With the return of the low end Duron-esque processor let's hope AMD moves to a new naming system so as not to confuse Joe AOL who picks up a Sempron 2500+ thinking he's getting a great deal picking up the newest AMD chip at a great price to expecting it to perform at par with the regular Athlon XP chip his twelve year old kid made him promise to get.
this article made me think of a AMD Duron Applebred vs. Athlon XP Thoroughbred review we did. pretty much the same results here; Duron/Sempron not recommended, even for going "on the cheap";
Unless you slow down a lot the CPU, this is unlikely to happen: in the same technology, propagation delays implies that the CPU will always run much faster than the RAM.
Using cache and several links from CPU to RAM to add bandwith, helps but the delay is still there and will be felt in case of cache miss due to branch mispredict for example.
You should look into an Athlon 64. They support Cool & Quiet technology, which basically just underclocks the CPU when it's idle. My 3000+ (2Ghz clockspeed) runs at 1Ghz most of the time. And the fans spindown accordingly. When you start up an application, the chip adjusts so quickly that you can't tell any difference in performance. Anyway, something to think about.
"The problem with internet quotations is that many are not genuine" -Abraham Lincoln
a Mobile Athlon, based on the Barton SOI
1 624&highlight=soi
The AXP-M is not SOI. Read here: http://www.nforcershq.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5
CPUs like the Pentium III can be underclocked and underpowered to the point that they work just fine without a fan. The VIA C3 is a Socket 370 / P-III compatable processor designed for low power and fanless operation. Check out the mini-itx motherboards for examples of these in operation.
Most video cards don't need a fan at all, although passively cooled cards can still heat up the interior of your case. It's doubtful that you really need the absolute latest and most powerfull leaf-blower video card on your home server.
Hard drives and power supplies are the other big sources of noise. Hard drives noise is noticable because it comes and goes, while power supplies need to push all the heat that those passively cooled components have been producing out of the case. A well made drive seated on noise absorbing padding, rather than bolted directly onto a steel frame, can be reduced to a low, cricket-like chirping noise while large, slower case fans can take a lot of the load off of the PSU without raising noise levels significantly. Take a look around Silent PC Review for more on this topic, or just look for a retailer in your area who carries quiet PC parts.
I have been slowly replacing all the computers around my home with silent parts over the last few years, and the difference is stunning. Just last week I needed to replace a power supply and used a spare that I had sitting on a shelf -- It sounded like a jet engine compared to everything around it. If that's the kind of noise that's coming out of your server, then I understand your frustration. You don't need to turn to rare, high tech prototypes from military labs to quiet down your PC -- All you need now is to shop around a bit.