Pentium 4 478 socket specifications. Processors Intel Pentium4 LGA775

At the time of the start of sales, processor solutions of the series Intel Pentium 4 made it possible to create the most productive desktop computing systems. After 8 years, this family of chips became obsolete and was discontinued. It is this legendary CPU range that will be discussed in this material.

Processor positioning

At the very start of sales, these processors belonged to the fastest solutions. Such affiliation was indicated by the then advanced architecture of the NetBurst semiconductor crystal, significantly increased clock frequencies and other significantly improved technical specifications. As a result, owners of personal computers based on them could solve problems of any level of complexity. The only area in which these chips were not used was servers. In such high-performance computers XEON series processor solutions were used. It is also not entirely justified to use Intel Pentium 4 in office PCs. The cores of such a chip in this case were not fully loaded and from an economic point of view this approach was completely unjustified. For the niche, Intel produced less productive and more affordable Celeron series CPUs.

Equipment

The Intel Pentium 4 processor could be found in two typical delivery options. One of them was aimed at small companies that specialized in assembling system units. This delivery option was also suitable for home assemblers of personal computers. In the price lists it was designated BOX, and the manufacturer included the following in it:

The chip is in protective packaging made of transparent plastic.

A proprietary heat dissipation system, which consisted of a special thermal paste and a cooler.

A brief guide to the purpose and use of the processor solution.

Sticker with the logo of the chip model for the front panel of the system unit.

The second delivery option was designated TRAIL in computer component catalogs. In this case, the cooling system was excluded from the supply list and had to be purchased additionally. This type of configuration was most optimally suited for large assemblers of personal computers. Due to the large volume of products sold, they could afford to buy cooling systems at lower prices. wholesale prices and this approach was justified from an economic point of view. Also, this delivery option was in high demand among computer enthusiasts who purchased improved modifications of coolers and this made it possible to overclock such a processor even better.

Processor sockets

The Intel Pentium 4 processor could be installed in one of 3 types of processor sockets:

The first connector appeared in 2000 and was in use until the end of 2001. Then it was replaced by PGA478, which until 2004 occupied a leading position in the list of Intel products. The last LGA775 socket appeared on store shelves in 2004. In 2008, it was replaced by LGA1156, which was aimed at using chips with more advanced architecture.

Socket 423. Supported chip families

Processor manufacturers represented by Intel and AMD at the end of 1999 - beginning of 2000 constantly expanded the list of chips offered. Only the second company had a computing platform with a reserve, which was based on the PGA462 socket. But Intel “squeezed out everything possible at that time from the PGA370 processor socket” and it had to offer something new to the computer technology market. This new chip became the chip in question with an updated processor socket in 2000. Intel Pentium 4 debuted simultaneously with the announcement of the PGA423 platform. The starting frequency of the processors in this case was set at 1.3 GHz, and its highest value reached 2.0 GHz. All CPUs in this case belonged to the Willamette family and were manufactured using 190 nm technology. The system bus frequency was equal to the real 100 MHz, and its effective value was 400 MHz.

Processor socket PGA478. CPU Models

A year later, in 2001, updated Intel Pentium 4 processors were released. Socket 478 is a connector for installing them. As noted earlier, this socket was relevant until 2004. The first family of processors that could be installed in it was Willamette. Highest value the frequencies for them were set to 2.0 GHz, and the initial one was 1.3 GHz. Their process technology corresponded to 190 nm. Then the Northwood family of CPUs came on sale. The effective frequency value in some models in this case was increased from 400 MHz to 533 MHz. The frequency of the chips could range from 2.6 GHz to 3.4 GHz. The key innovation of this chips model range- this is the emergence of support for HyperTrading virtual multitasking technology. It was with its help that two threads were processed at once on one physical core program code. According to the test results, a 15 percent increase in performance was obtained. The next generation of Pentium 4 chips was codenamed Prescott. The key differences from its predecessors in this case were an improved technological process, an increase in the second level cache and an increase in clock frequency to 800 MHz. At the same time, support for HyperTrading was retained and the maximum clock frequency did not increase - 3.4 GHz. Finally, it should be noted that the PGA478 platform was the last computing platform that did not support 64-bit solutions and could only run 32-bit program code. Moreover, this applies to both motherboards and Intel Pentium 4 processor solutions. The characteristics of computers based on such components are completely outdated.

The final stage of the Pentium 4 platform. Socket for installing LGA775 chips

In 2006, processor manufacturers began to actively move to 64-bit computing. It is for this reason that the Intel Pentium 4 switched to a new platform based on the LGA775 socket. The first generation of processor devices for it was called exactly the same as for the PGA478 - Prescott. Their technical specifications were identical to previous chip models. The key difference is the increase in the maximum clock frequency, which in this case could already reach 3.8 GHz. The final generation of CPUs was Cedar Mill. In this case maximum frequency dropped to 3.6 GHz, but at the same time the technical process improved and energy efficiency improved. Unlike previous platforms, within the framework of LGA775, the Pentium 4 smoothly moved from the segment of mid- and premium-level solutions to the niche of budget-class processor devices. In its place came the Pentium 2 series chips, which already boasted two physical cores.

Tests. Comparison with competitors

In some cases, the Intel Pentium 4 can show quite good results. This processor is excellent for executing program code that is optimized for a single thread. In this case, the results will be comparable even to current mid-level CPUs. Of course, there are not so many such programs now, but they still exist. This processor is also capable of competing with current flagships in office applications. In other cases, this chip cannot show an acceptable level of performance. The test results will be given for one of the latest representatives of this family, “Pentium 4 631”. Its competitors will be the Pentium D 805, Celeron E1400, E3200 and G460 processors from Intel. AMD products will be represented by the E-350. The amount of DDR3 RAM is 8 GB. Also given computing system equipped with a GeForce GTX 570 adapter with 1 GB of video memory. In the 3D packages Maya, Creo Elements and Solid Works in the current versions of 2011, the Pentium 4 model in question shows quite good results. Based on the test results in these 3 software packages, an average score was calculated on a one hundred point scale and the strengths were distributed as follows:

The Pentium 4 631 loses to processors with a more advanced architecture and higher clock speeds, the G460 and E3200, which have 2 physical cores. But at the same time it outperforms the full-fledged dual-core D 805 model based on a similar architecture. The results of the E-350 and E1400 were predictable. The first chip is aimed at assembling PCs in which power consumption comes to the fore, while the second chip is intended for office systems. The distribution of forces is completely different when encoding media files in Lame, Apple Lossless, Nero AAC and Ogg Vorbis. In this case, the number of cores comes to the fore. The more there are, the better the task is performed. Again, on the average one hundred point scale, the forces were distributed as follows:

Even the E-350, with its priority on energy efficiency, outperforms the Pentium 4 model 631. The advanced architecture of the semiconductor crystal and the presence of 2 cores still make themselves felt. The picture changes when testing processors in WinRAR archivers and 7-Zip. The results of the chips on the same scale were distributed as follows:

In this test, many factors influence the final result. This is the architecture, this is the cache size, this is the clock frequency, this is the number of cores. As a result, the tested Pentium 4 631 turned out to be a typical average one. The reference system, whose performance corresponded to 100 points, was based on the Athlon II X4 CPU model 620 from AMD.

Overclocking

The Intel Pentium 4 boasted an impressive increase in performance levels. Overclocking these processor devices made it possible to achieve clock frequencies of 3.9-4.0 GHz with an improved air cooling system. If you replace air cooling with liquid cooling based on nitrogen, then you can quite count on conquering the value of 4.1-4.2 GHz. Before overclocking, the computer system must be equipped with the following:

The power supply must be at least 600 W.

The computer must have an advanced model of the motherboard installed, on which it is possible to smoothly regulate various parameters.

In addition to the main cooler, the processor has system unit There should be an additional 2-3 fans for improved heat dissipation.

The frequency multiplier in these chips was blocked. Therefore, it is impossible to overclock a PC by simply raising its value. Therefore, the only way to increase performance is to increase the real value of the system bus clock frequency. The acceleration order in this case is as follows:

The frequencies of all PC components are reduced. Only the system bus is not included in this list.

At the next stage, we increase the operating frequency of the latter.

After each such step, it is necessary to check the stability of the computer using specialized application software.

When simply increasing the frequency is no longer enough, we begin to increase the voltage on the CPU. Its maximum value is 1.35-1.38 V.

After reaching highest value voltage, the frequency of the chip cannot be increased. This is the maximum speed mode of the computer system.

An example is the model 630 of the Pentium 4 processor. Its starting frequency is 3 GHz. The nominal system bus clock frequency in this case is 200 MHz. The value of the latter can be increased with air cooling up to 280-290 MHz. As a result, the CPU will already operate at 4.0 GHz. That is, the productivity increase is 25 percent.

Relevance today

Today, all Intel Pentium 4 processors are completely outdated. Their operating temperature, power consumption, technological process, clock frequencies, cache memory size and organization, amount of addressable RAM - this is not a complete list of those characteristics that indicate that that this semiconductor solution is obsolete. The capabilities of such a chip are only sufficient to solve the most simple problems. Therefore, owners of such computer systems need to update them urgently.

Price

Even though the CPUs in question were discontinued in 2008, they can still be purchased in new condition from stock. It should be noted that in LGA775 version and with support for NT technology you can purchase Intel chips Pentium 4. The price for them is in the range of 1300-1500 rubles. For office systems, this is a completely adequate cost level. Processor solutions that were in use can be found on various trading platforms on the Internet. The price in this case starts at 150-200 rubles. Fully assembled personal computer Used ones can be purchased at a price of 1,500 rubles.

New “spring” processors continue to delight us with their appearance. This time I excelled Intel company, which presented on the Ukrainian market two top-end Pentium 4 processors with a frequency of 3.4 GHz, but built on different cores - Northwood and Prescott, respectively. We hope this review will help you decide what such similar and yet so different CPUs can give the user.
This time we decided not to make bulky material, especially since just recently
We have already examined in detail the previous generations of these processors with frequencies of 3.2
GHz. Most of our readers are probably familiar with the features of the Northwood core.
edition, hence changes in performance when moving to a new frequency
3.4 GHz can be calculated even on a calculator, having the necessary database of previous
test results. But the design of the processor has been slightly updated. Basics
The (external) change affected the power elements of the crystal itself. As is known,
on the back side of the processor substrate there are hanging elements (mainly
shunt capacitors). So, if earlier in the 200 (800) MHz Northwood series
their number and location were the same, then the 3.4 GHz model is radically different
from their predecessors. Its substrate is exactly like the Pentium 4 in a pod
Extreme Edition. The almost twofold increase in the number of capacitors is probably caused by
the desire to reduce surges and noise levels that occur in the processor power circuits.
As it turned out, these metamorphoses had a positive effect on the overclocking potential,
but more on that later.

Prescott was also noted, but in this case the changes concern exclusively
software part. From a technical point of view, the differences between the new model and the frequency
We were unable to detect 3.4 GHz from 3.2. So what are these changes that
will allow the new mass-produced CPUs from Intel to show themselves in all their glory?

Prescott processor core ecosystem

Perhaps one of the significant achievements
recent times - correct "understanding" of Prescott operating room
Windows XP system with Service Pack 2 installed. Until the official release of this
"upgrade" is too early to talk about possible advantages and a new level
control of Hyper-Threading technology, but the trend itself is still positive.
Also during testing we noticed another interesting feature
- motherboards for which there are new BIOS versions with a declared 100%
compatible with the Prescott kernel, exhibit very unusual behavior. Really,
after flashing, the speed of working with memory increases significantly, and its latency
decreases slightly (remember, if you install a Prescott CPU). But if the fee
with the new BIOS install Northwood, the performance of the memory subsystem, although insignificant,
but it will still fall. There are two conclusions from all this so far: a) if you are a Pentium owner
4 Series B/C, do not rush to update the BIOS on your motherboard; b) it’s too early
talk about the “nuances” of the BIOS as an established pattern, but that
fact that three popular models motherboards still demonstrate this
the result is at least thought provoking.

We also note the slow implementation of SSE3 support in modern multimedia
BY. The promised drivers from ATI and NVidia have not yet appeared, and the authors of media codecs
they are in no hurry to use the advantages of SSE3 in their products. Although in Japan
- a country that loves high technology so much - a new set of teams is already enough
intensively used by “national” software. We even managed to find results
testing, where a 10% increase in performance was reported in the case of
media coding. Again, when will the "reality" of SSE3 reach us?
- still unknown. But the fact that at least it will be a plus
and not “minus”, it’s already pleasing.

Test results

The Primordia test from the Science Mark 2.0 kit, although indirectly, indicates
that Prescott is not designed for complex mathematics. Even with the new frequency
At 3.4 GHz it is far from its competitors. But Northwood 3.4 GHz proved that
when using Hyper-Threading technology, its computing capabilities
practically not inferior to Athlon 64 3400+.

The remaining results can be considered from the point of view of global patterns.
There is a real correspondence between the 3400+ rating of the Athlon 64 2.2 GHz and the real one.
performance Pentium 4 (Northwood) 3.4 GHz. With some deviations
(Unreal Tournament always performed better on CPUs
AMD, and “multimedia” is always better with Intel CPUs, especially with
using software that supports SMP), we observe basically similar performance.
Now let's see where the new 90nm Intel processor ranked first
places - archiving WinRAR, 3DMark 2003, SPECviewperf 7.1.1. Again remarkable
- if Prescott lags behind, then it lags significantly, if it is in the lead, then it is also very
palpable. Another confirmation that the new Intel processor cannot be unambiguously
call it neither “good” nor “vice versa.” Firstly, completely
the very ecosystem where he can express himself 100% has not formed,
and secondly, he just another(different from everything that we are so
took a long time to get used to).

Conclusions

After the rather revolutionary appearance of the AMD64 family, which shook
and which has excited the IT community, some calm is again observed.
As our testing has shown, the new mainstream Intel Pentium 4 (Northwood) processors
3.4 GHz and AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.2 GHz are truly “top”
for both companies and are in no way inferior to each other, and the choice remains exclusively
behind the user. Although the AMD platform will cost the buyer a little less,
but the dramatic difference that was in the case of the Athlon XP will no longer be there.
Now, if you want to purchase new High-End systems, regardless of the manufacturer
the platform will have to pay comparable amounts. Well, would you recommend purchasing?
Prescott is suitable for those who want to become the owner of advanced technologies that
must prove themselves in the future. So to speak, the platform is “for growth”.

But we still have some complaints about Prescott. They consist in too
high heat generation. Even after following all the recommendations regarding circulation
air, we got about 70 °C on the chip in a closed case. In case of use
powerful video card and PC3200 memory modules, this can cause the temperature
inside the case will exceed 50 ° C - you agree, it’s too much. We hope that in
In future steppings, Intel will closely address this problem, otherwise further
An increase in frequencies may turn out to be unsafe.

Overclocking

For serious and stable overclocking of new processors from Intel, you will have to
at least replace the standard coolers with something more powerful and add them to the case
a couple of fans. CPU with index "C" was able to work stably
at a frequency of 3.72 GHz (additional elements in the power circuit probably affected
which we talked about at the beginning). Prescott reached the threshold of 3.8 GHz, but in open
case and with the Zalman CNPS7000ACu cooler, it seems to us, we can achieve higher
frequencies using traditional cooling methods simply will not succeed.

Introduction Last year, Intel talked about an upcoming change in priorities in the creation of new processors. Due to difficulties encountered in increasing the clock frequencies of Pentium 4 processors, the company decided to focus its main efforts not on increasing their performance, but on expanding functionality. Over the past year, the first steps have been made in this direction: for example, CPUs began to be labeled using a processor rating, and the clock speed in the labeling was relegated to the background. However, real steps aimed at giving processors new functions were planned for this year, 2005. Therefore, we waited with special impatience for the first processor announcements this year.
And so, it happened. Today, Intel is introducing new processors in the Pentium 4 family to consumers, which are based on an updated core, codenamed Prescott 2M. Although Intel's course towards introducing dual-core processors into desktop systems has not yet been reflected in new products, the new Pentium 4, which has ratings of the 6XX type, is endowed with a number of new and interesting features. This is why the Pentium 4 6XX processors based on the Prescott 2M core are such interesting objects for study: in these CPUs we are faced with an increased second-level cache memory and new Enhanced Memory 64 Technology and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technologies for the desktop computer sector.
In parallel with the Pentium 4 6XX line, Intel is launching another processor aimed at enthusiasts. This CPU, part of the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition family, unlike the Pentium 4 6XX line, is designed to raise the performance bar and become the fastest CPU from Intel to date. Therefore, the new Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, although deprived of some functionality of the Pentium 4 6XX, has greater clock frequency and operates at a higher bus frequency.
However, you can approach new Intel products from the other side. Against the backdrop of the undoubted successes of its main competitor, AMD, Pentium 4 processors did not look their best until today. The older Athlon 64 models were superior to similar Intel products both in performance and in supported functions. Now, obviously, Intel is making another attempt to overtake its competitor. Increasing the second level cache in processors based on the new Prescott 2M core is intended to increase their performance. And the introduction of the new Enhanced Memory 64 Technology and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technologies into the Pentium 4 6XX can be considered as Intel’s response to the AMD64 and Cool"n"Quiet technologies available in the Athlon 64 processors.
In this review we will try to evaluate new products from Intel from all sides. We will look both at what new capabilities the new technologies that have appeared in processors with the Prescott 2M core can bring, and at how much the performance of the new CPUs of the Pentium 4 6XX and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition families has changed, and whether they can compete with the older ones Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX processor models. However, according to tradition, the practical study of new products is preceded by a small theoretical part.

New Pentium 4 6XX and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73 GHz processors

PrescottPrescott 2M

Intel Pentium 4 660


Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73 GHz

From left to right: Pentium 4 570, Pentium 4 660,
Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73 GHz

Prescott 2M core: changes in cache memory

Details about Demand Based Switching

Temperature and power consumption

Memory: 1024MB DDR2-533 SDRAM (OCZ PC2 4300, 2 x 512MB, 4-4-4-11);

Overclocking

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 660 (3.6 GHz);
Motherboard: ASUS P5AD2-E Premium (LGA775, i925XE Express);
Memory: 1024MB DDR2-667 SDRAM (Corsair XMS2-5300, 2 x 512MB, 4-4-4-12).
Graphics card: PowerColor RADEON X800 XT (PCI-E x16);
Disk subsystem: Maxtor MaXLine III 250GB (SATA150).

How we tested

Processors:

AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 (Socket 939, 1024KB L2, 2.6GHz);
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (Socket 939, 1024KB L2, 2.4GHz);
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ (Socket 939, 512KB L2, 2.4GHz);
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (Socket 939, 512KB L2, 2.2GHz);
Intel Pentium 4 570 (LGA775, 1024KB L2, 3.8 GHz);
Intel Pentium 4 560 (LGA775, 1024KB L2, 3.6 GHz);
Intel Pentium 4 550 (LGA775, 1024KB L2, 3.4 GHz);
Intel Pentium 4 660 (LGA775, 2048KB L2, 3.6 GHz);
Intel Pentium 4 650 (LGA775, 2048KB L2, 3.4 GHz);
Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.46GHz (LGA775, 2048KB L3, FSB 1066MHz);
Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73GHz (LGA775, 2048KB L2, FSB 1066MHz);

Motherboards:

EPoX 9NPA Ultra (Socket 939, NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra);
Intel Desktop Board D925XECV2 (LGA775, i925XE Express).

Memory:

1024MB DDR400 SDRAM (Corsair CMX512-3200XLPRO, 2 x 512MB, 2-2-2-10);
1024MB DDR2-533 SDRAM (OCZ PC2 4300, 2 x 512MB, 4-4-4-11).

Graphics card: PowerColor RADEON X800 XT (PCI-E x16).
Disk subsystem: Maxtor MaXLine III 250GB (SATA150).

Performance

Conclusions

Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73 GHz (3.73 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2) - $999;
Intel Pentium 4 660 (3.60 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2) - $605;
Intel Pentium 4 650 (3.40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2) - $401;
Intel Pentium 4 640 (3.20 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2) - $273;
Intel Pentium 4 630 (3.00 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2) - $224.

Introduction

Before the start of the summer holiday season, both leading processor manufacturers, AMD and Intel, released latest models processors in their modern CPU lines aimed at use in high-performance PCs. First, AMD took the last step before the upcoming qualitative leap and, about a month ago, introduced the Athlon XP 3200+, which is expected to become the fastest representative of the Athlon XP family. AMD's further plans in this market sector are already associated with the next generation processor with x86-64 architecture, Athlon 64, which should appear in September this year. Intel waited a short pause and presented the last of the Penlium 4 on the 0.13-micron Northwood core only today. As a result, the final model in this family was the Pentium 4 with a frequency of 3.2 GHz. The pause before the release of the next desktop processor based on the new Prescott core will last until the fourth quarter, when Intel will once again raise the bar for the performance of its desktop processors with higher clock speeds and improved architecture.

It should be noted that during the confrontation between the Athlon and Pentium 4 architectures, the architecture from Intel proved to be more scalable. Over the period of existence of Pentium 4, produced using various technological processes, their frequency has already more than doubled and without problems reached 3.2 GHz using a conventional 0.13-micron technological process. AMD, which lingered with its Athlon XP at around 2.2 GHz, cannot boast of present moment equally high frequencies of their processors. And although at the same frequencies the Athlon XP is significantly superior in performance to the Pentium 4, the ever-increasing gap in clock frequencies has taken its toll: the Athlon XP 3200+ with a frequency of 2.2 GHz can be called a full-fledged competitor to the Penium 4 3.2 GHz only with significant reservations.

In the graph below we decided to show how the frequencies of processors of the Pentium 4 and Athlon families have grown over the past three years:

As you can see, the 2.2 GHz frequency is an insurmountable barrier for AMD, which will be conquered, at best, only in the second half of next year, when AMD transfers its production facilities to the use of 90-nanometer technology. Until then, even the next generation Athlon 64 processors will continue to have such low frequencies. It’s hard to say whether they will be able to compete with Prescott. However, it looks like AMD is in for some serious trouble. Prescott, with its larger L1 and L2 cache, improved Hyper-Threading technology and rising frequencies, can become a much more attractive proposition than the Athlon 64.

As for Pentium 4 processors, one can only envy their scalability. Pentium 4 frequencies have been gradually increasing since the release of these processors. The slight pause observed in the summer-autumn of this year is explained by the need to introduce a new technological process, but it should not affect the balance of power in the processor market. By enabling Hyper-Threading technology and switching its processors to use an 800-MHz bus, Intel has achieved a noticeable superiority of its older CPU models over competitor processors and now can not worry about anything, at least until the mass distribution of the Athlon 64 begins.

Also in the graph above we showed the immediate plans of AMD and Intel to release new CPUs. It looks like AMD shouldn't have any illusions about its position in the market anytime soon. The fight with Intel on equal terms ends for it, the company returns to its usual role of catching up. However, it’s too early to make long-term forecasts; let’s see what the release of the Athlon 64 will bring to AMD. However, judging by the restrained reaction of software developers to AMD64 technology, no revolution will happen with the release of the next generation of processors from AMD.

Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz

The new Pentium 4 3.2 GHz processor, which Intel announced today, June 23, is nothing special from a technological point of view. This is the same Northwood, operating at a bus frequency of 800 MHz and supporting Hyper-Threading technology. That is, in fact, the processor is completely identical (except for the clock frequency) to the Pentium 4 3.0, which was announced by Intel in April.

The Pentium 4 3.2 GHz processor, like its predecessors, uses the D1 stepping core

The only fact that should be noted in connection with the release of the next Pentium 4 processor based on the Northwood core is the newly increased heat generation. Now the typical heat dissipation of the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz is about 85 W, and the maximum significantly exceeds 100 W. This is why the use of well-designed enclosures is one of the necessary requirements when operating systems based on Pentium 4 3.2 GHz. One fan in the case is now clearly not enough; in addition, it is necessary to ensure that the air in the area where the processor is placed is well ventilated. Intel also says that the temperature of the air surrounding the processor heatsink should not exceed 42 degrees.

Well, let us remind you once again that the presented Pentium 4 3.2 GHz is the latest CPU from Intel for high-performance desktop systems, based on 0.13-micron technology. The next processor for such systems will use the new Prescott core, manufactured using 90-nanometer technology. Accordingly, the heat dissipation of future desktop processors will be less. Consequently, the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz will remain the record holder for heat dissipation.

The official price for the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz is $637, which means that this processor is the most expensive CPU for desktop computers today. Moreover, Intel recommends using the new product with expensive motherboards based on the i875P chipset. However, as we know, this requirement can be ignored: many cheaper motherboards based on i865PE provide a similar level of performance thanks to the activation of PAT technology by manufacturers in the i865PE logic set.

How we tested

The purpose of this testing was to determine the level of performance that the new Pentium 4 3.2 GHz can provide compared to its predecessors and older models of the competing Athlon XP line. Thus, in addition to the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz, Petnium 4 3.0 GHz, Athlon XP 3200+ and Athlon XP 3000+ took part in testing. As a platform for Pentium 4 tests, we chose a motherboard based on the i875P chipset (Canterwood) with dual-channel DDR400 memory, and Athlon XP tests were carried out using a motherboard based on the most powerful NVIDIA nForce 400 Ultra chipset.

The composition of the test systems is given below:

Notes:

• In all cases, the memory was operated in synchronous mode with the FSB in a dual-channel configuration. The most aggressive timings used were 2-2-2-5.
• Testing was performed in the operating room Windows system XP SP1 with DirectX 9.0a installed.

Productivity in office and content creation applications

First of all, according to established tradition, we measured the speed of processors in office applications and applications that work with digital content. To do this, we used test packages from the Winstone family.

In Business Winstone 2002, which includes typical office business applications, the processors of the Athlon XP family are at their best, the performance of which significantly exceeds the speed of processors of the competing family. This situation is quite common for this test and is determined both by the features of the Athlon XP architecture and by the large amount of cache memory in the Barton core, the total capacity of which, thanks to the exclusivity of L2, reaches 640 KB.

In the comprehensive test Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2003, which measures the speed of test platforms in applications for working with digital content, the picture is somewhat different. Pentium 4 processors with NetBurst architecture and a high-speed bus with a bandwidth of 6.4 GB per second leave older Athlon XP models far behind.

Performance when processing streaming data

Most applications that work with data streams are known to run faster on Pentium 4 processors. This is where all the advantages of the NetBurst architecture are revealed. Therefore, the result we obtained in WinRAR 3.2 should not surprise anyone. The older Pentium 4 significantly outperforms the top-end Athlon XP in terms of information compression speed.

A similar situation is observed when coding sound files to mp3 format using LAME 3.93 codec. By the way, this codec supports multi-threading, so the high results of the Pentium 4 here can also be attributed to the support of Hyper-Threading technology by these CPUs. As a result, the Pentium 4 3.2 outperforms the older Athlon XP with a rating of 3200+ by almost 20%.

In this testing, we included the results obtained by measuring the encoding speed of an AVI video into the MPEG-2 format using one of the best encoders, Canopus Procoder 1.5. Surprisingly, the Athlon XP in this case shows slightly higher performance. However, this should most likely be attributed to the high-performance floating point unit present in the Athlon XP. SSE2 instructions of Pentium 4 processors in this case, as we see, cannot be as strong an alternative. However, it should be noted that the gap in speed between the older Athlon XP and Pentium 4 models is quite small.

Encoding video into the MPEG-4 format is another example of a task where Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading technology and an 800-MHz bus demonstrate their strengths. The Pentium 4 3.2's superiority over the Athlon XP 3200+ in this test is almost 20%.

A similar situation is observed when encoding video using Windows Media Encoder 9: This application is optimized for the SSE2 instruction set and is perfectly suited for the NetBurst architecture. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the top part of the chart is once again occupied by processors from Intel.

Gaming Performance

After the release of the patched version 3Dmark03, the Pentium 4's results relative to the Athlon XP in this test became slightly higher. However, this did not change the balance of power: Pentium 4 was the leader in this benchmark before.

Pentium 4 confirms its leadership in the overall standings in 3Dmark03. True, the gap here is small: this is due to the fact that 3Dmark03 is primarily a test of the video subsystem.

After the Pentium 4 switched to using an 800 MHz bus, the Pentium 4 began to outperform the Athlon XP in the older version 3Dmark2001. Moreover, the gap between the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz and the Athlon XP 3200+ is already quite significant and amounts to 6%.

In Quake3, the Pentium 4 traditionally outperforms the Athlon XP, so the result is not surprising.

A similar picture is observed in the game Return to Castle Wolfenstein. This makes perfect sense since this game uses the same Quake3 engine.

One of the few applications where the older Athlon XP model manages to maintain leadership is Unreal Tournament 2003. I would like to note that everything modern games do not have support for Hyper-Threading technology, so the potential of the new Pentium 4 is not yet fully revealed in games.

But in Serious Sam 2 the Athlon XP 3200+ is no longer the leader. With the release of the new processor from Intel, the palm in this game goes to the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz.

The new Splinter Cell game, although based on the same engine as Unreal Tournament 2003, runs faster on Intel processors.

In general, it remains to be recognized that the fastest processor for modern 3D games at the moment is the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz, beating the Athlon XP 3200+ in most gaming tests. The situation is changing rapidly. Just recently, the older Athlon XPs were in no way inferior to Intel processors in gaming tests.

3D rendering performance

Since 3ds max 5.1, which we used in this testing, is well optimized for multi-threading, the Pentium 4, which can execute two threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading technology, is the leader by a wide margin. Even the older Athlon XP 3200+ cannot compete with it.

Absolutely the same can be said about the rendering speed in Lightwave 7.5. However, in some scenes, for example when rendering Sunset, older Athlon XP models do not look so bad, but such cases are rare.

It's difficult to compete with the Pentium 4, which runs two threads simultaneously, in rendering tasks for the Athlon XP. Unfortunately, AMD has no plans to introduce technologies like Hyper-Threading even in future Athlon 64 family processors.

An absolutely similar situation is observed in POV-Ray 3.5.

Scientific Performance

To test the speed of new CPUs from AMD in scientific calculations, the ScienceMark 2.0 package was used. Details about this test can be found at http://www.sciencemark.org. This benchmark supports multi-threading, as well as all SIMD instruction sets, including MMX, 3DNow!, SSE and SSE2.

It has long been known that Athlon XP family processors perform best in mathematical modeling or cryptography tasks. Here we see another confirmation of this fact. Although, I must say, the Athlon XP is beginning to lose its former advantage. For example, in the Molecular Dynamics test the new Pentium 4 3.2 GHz comes out on top.

In addition to the ScienceMark test in this section, we decided to test the speed of the new processors in the client of the Russian distributed computing project MD@home, dedicated to calculating the dynamic properties of oligopeptides (protein fragments). Calculation of the properties of oligopeptides may be able to help study the fundamental properties of proteins, thereby making a contribution to the development of science.

As you can see, the new Pentium 4 solves molecular dynamics problems faster than the Athlon XP. Pentium 4 achieves such a high result thanks to its Hyper-Threading technology. The MD@home client itself, unfortunately, does not support multithreading, but running two client programs in parallel on systems with processors with Hyper-Threading technology allows you to speed up the calculation process by more than 40%.

Conclusions

The testing clearly shows that at the next stage of the competition, Intel managed to defeat AMD. The latest processor based on the Northwood core outperforms the older and latest Athlon XP models in most tests. For lately Intel was able to significantly increase the frequencies of its CPUs, increase the frequency of their bus, and also introduce clever Hyper-Threading technology, which gives an additional increase in speed in a number of tasks. AMD, not being able to increase the clock speeds of its processors due to technological and architectural difficulties, was unable to adequately strengthen its CPUs. Even the appearance of the new Barton core did not improve the situation: the latest Pentium 4 models are clearly stronger than the older Athlon XP. As a result, the Pentium 4 3.2 GHz can be considered the most powerful CPU for desktop systems at present. This situation will last at least until September, when AMD will finally have to announce its new Athlon 64 family processors.

It should also be noted that the rating system currently used by AMD to label its processors can no longer be the criterion by which the Athlon XP can be compared with the Pentium 4. Improvements that have occurred with the Pentium 4, including the translation these CPUs on an 800-MHz bus and the introduction of Hyper-Threading technology have led to the fact that the Pentium 4, with a frequency equal to the rating of the corresponding Athlon XP, is clearly faster.

In general, we will look forward to the fall, when both AMD and Intel will present their new developments, Prescott and Athlon 64, which may be able to intensify the competition between long-time rivals in the processor market. Now AMD is being pushed aside by Intel into the sector inexpensive processors Where, however, this company feels excellent: Celeron is a frankly weak opponent compared to Athlon XP.

By the beginning of 2004, Intel managed to successfully transfer its processors to the new Prescott core. True, the core itself cannot boast of improved characteristics. In particular, in terms of performance in most applications it is inferior to the Northwood core (in some - up to 15%), and in terms of heat dissipation it is significantly superior to it. But the problem of increased energy consumption is inherent in C0 stepping. And recently, Intel has switched to producing processors using a new stepping - D0, in which this problem is partially solved. And it will be finally resolved in the next stepping - E0, in which a mechanism will appear to reduce the frequency when the processor is idle. But for now, the main stepping is D0, on which processors of both Socket478 and Socket LGA775 form factors are produced.

What caused the need for a new socket? The main version is a more uniform distribution of power consumption between different blocks of the processor core. In addition, Intel will soon introduce several new technologies such as EM64T (64-bit instruction extension), NX-bit ( additional features in the field of information security), as well as an improved energy saving mechanism. It is quite possible that additional contacts will be needed to support them. By the way, according to preliminary information, all these technologies are already present in today's Prescott processors, but in a locked form.

One more new technology, which should appear in the near future (tentatively in E0 stepping) is SpeedStep. Thanks to it, the processor will reduce the clock frequency when idle, and as a result, generate less heat. And if the frequency reduction is serious (for example, 2 times), and is accompanied by a decrease in Vcore voltage, then a dramatic reduction in the typical level of heat generation is possible. Let me remind you that AMD processors Athlon64 already supports a similar technology - Cool"n"Quiet, which by reducing the frequency and voltage reduces the heat dissipation level by more than 2 times (35W versus 89W for details in the AMD Athlon64 review).

And again we return to the problem of energy consumption. Intel specialists estimate the technological potential of the Prescott core - 4 GHz. And at this frequency the maximum heat release can reach 150W. Therefore, the use of a new socket, a new power module design and a new cooling system design is intended to realize this potential.

Intel decided not to limit itself to simply changing the processor socket. In fact, a completely new platform is being presented to the public: DDR2 memory support, bus support PCI Express, as well as expanded capabilities for connecting peripherals. For this purpose, the i925X and i915P chipsets were released. We will not dwell on them in detail, because we have already thoroughly examined the capabilities of the i925X in our review of the Abit AA8 DuraMAX board.

Let's return to processors - Intel has announced the following processors for the LGA775 socket:

The “processor number” is highlighted in bold, which is intended to clearly divide processors into classes. In fact, this means a departure from outdated system classification of processors by clock frequency.

After the transition of Pentium4 processors to a faster 1066 MHz bus, the corresponding models will most likely form the “sixth” series, and will occupy an intermediate position between the “fifth” and “seventh” series (the “seventh” series includes Pentium4 Extreme Edition processors with a 2 MB L3 cache).

As for Celeron processors, it is worth noting their increased characteristics. In particular, the L2 cache memory increased from 128 to 256 KB, and the system bus frequency increased from 100 to 133 MHz (QPB: from 400 to 533 MHz, respectively).

So, let's see what the Pentium4 540 processor is like.

The CPU-Z utility correctly determined all processor parameters, including stepping (D0). As for appearance, there are no surprises here for regular readers.

Left Socket478, right LGA775

And for those who see the LGA775 processor for the first time, please pay attention to the complete absence of legs.

Now the legs are located directly on the processor socket (you can see all the stages of installing the processor in the preliminary review of the LGA775 platform). By the way, almost immediately after the first samples of motherboards with LGA775 appeared, many reviewers began to complain about the fragility and unreliability of the processor socket. The most common problem is that after several installations of the processor into the socket, the legs become deformed (or bent).

Naturally, after receiving the LGA775 platform, I installed the processor with extreme care. However, no difficulties were identified during the installation process. Moreover, in my opinion, the problem with the unreliability of the socket is somewhat exaggerated (on the other hand, with “crooked” hands you can break anything :). In any case, as soon as we receive the first “budget” board with LGA775, we will conduct a kind of “stress testing” of the LGA775 socket for multiple installations of the processor.