These Northwoods are pretty slick...

[Insane3D]

I just built a new rig with the following components:

Asus P4B266-C
512mb Crucial PC2100
Retail 1.6A P4 w/ retail HSF
Antec SX800 case
Enermax 431w PSU
Linksys NIC
Muse XL SC (CMI 8738)
Radeon 64mb VIVO SE

This thing is sweet. It is completely stable @ 2.56ghz (16 x 160), and I had it up to 2.6ghz, but I needed to crank the voltage higher than I would have liked. I'm running the voltage @ 1.6v and my temps under load top out around 43C with a 27C case temp. The nicest thing about this setup is the quiet. I am running the retail HSF and the PSU fans only, no other case fans. I actually think my Enermax is loud now, so I'm switching out those fans for a couple of Panaflo L1A's. These 1.6A P4's are pretty nice, I must say.


A few benchmarks..

CPU, Multimedia, and Memory Benchmarks

I may just promote this P4 rig to being my main system....

Oh, and it flies through Seti@Home WU's in under 3 hrs.! :Q

 

[fortega]

very nice ..I'm looking forward to getting myself a similar system also I cant resist it anymore..everyone is praising these northwoods.

 

[BD231]

everyone is praising these northwoods

It'll pass

 

[Rickten]

I'm sooooo tempted just to get away from the via chipset.

 

[jonmcc33]

everyone is praising these northwoods

F that, I'm praising the AMD ClawHammer and their AMD-8000 chipset.

 

[fortega]

<< everyone is praising these northwoods

F that, I'm praising the AMD ClawHammer and their AMD-8000 chipset. >>


How can you praise something that is not available at the moment :| I'm looking to upgrade this month ..I cant wait 6 months :|

 

[Bozo Galora]

what speed is pci bus?

 

[ST4RCUTTER]

Gotta give Intel the nod. It's hard to recommend anything AMD right now except for those building on a budget below the 1.6Ghz asking price. Northwood is the way to go for now...

 

[Insane3D]

"what speed is pci bus?"

Asus locks the PCI and AGP @ 33mhz and 66mhz respectively over 133mhz FSB.

 

[Insane3D]

"F that, I'm praising the AMD ClawHammer and their AMD-8000 chipset. "

Indeed the hammer and the AMD 8000 chipset are extremely impressive, and when they come I will probably try my hand at one, but the first hammer's will not even be around until the end of this year at the earliest..more likely early next year. The NW is available now and a almost 1ghz o/c with no extra cooling is impressive.

 

[dowxp]

welcome. i run at 160fsb too

 

[jonmcc33]

How can you praise something that is not available at the moment

I'm not praising it's availability, I'm praising it's innovation and capability. The Northwood P4 isn't crap compared to the ClawHammer.

I'm looking to upgrade this month ..I cant wait 6 months

Why upgrade this month when you'll have to do it again in 6 months? Intil may be now with the Northwood, with it's outlandish 800MHz overclocks, but AMD is the future. You can't use the Northwood with Windows XP 64-bit can you? With the x86-64 AMD ClawHammer you can. I'm completely content with my 1GHz AMD Thunderbird AXIA overclocked to 1.4GHz. There isn't anything that brings my CPU to it's knees. Why upgrade right now? With the ClawHammer just beyond the horizon it's looking like a better tomorrow with AMD.

You have seen the AnandTech reviews haven't you???

It's hard to recommend anything AMD right now except for those building on a budget below the 1.6Ghz asking price. Northwood is the way to go for now...

I recommend AMD to everyone I know. At default speed the AMD Athlon XP keeps up with the Intel P4 step for step. Overclocking? How will you tell someone that you're building a system for that you're going to buy a slower CPU and just overclock it to make it run faster? It's good if you want to overclock your own system but for other people, and doing it to a system that you are building for someone else, it's not a game you'd want to play.

I overclock my system, but that's my choice to make. I won't go to my parents Celeron system and overclock it, mainly because it's not my property to do that to.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Insane, that is impressive, esp. with no case fans.

 

[ST4RCUTTER]

I recommend AMD to everyone I know. At default speed the AMD Athlon XP keeps up with the Intel P4 step for step. Overclocking? How will you tell someone that you're building a system for that you're going to buy a slower CPU and just overclock it to make it run faster? It's good if you want to overclock your own system but for other people, and doing it to a system that you are building for someone else, it's not a game you'd want to play.


Let me clarify... I can't recommend AMD procs to people on this forum unless they're looking to spend less than the asking price of the 1.6Ghz. My recommendations for people on this forum differ quite a bit from the average Joe who wouldn't know what a FSB was if it hit him in the face. Here at Anand, the Intel part is the best bang/buck.

 

[Insane3D]

"Insane, that is impressive, esp. with no case fans."

Thanks. I can actually hear my HD now..and my Enermax fans seem to loud. I'm going to replace the 80mm in the Enermax with a L1A, and replace the 92mm one with a PC Power and Cooling 92mm Silencer fan. Should be pretty quiet after that..

 

[christoph83]

I recommend AMD to everyone I know. At default speed the AMD Athlon XP keeps up with the Intel P4 step for step. Overclocking? How will you tell someone that you're building a system for that you're going to buy a slower CPU and just overclock it to make it run faster? It's good if you want to overclock your own system but for other people, and doing it to a system that you are building for someone else, it's not a game you'd want to play.

Yeah really,if your building someone a system like for your parents do you really think for one second that they will notice the difference between a 1.6A and a 1700+ XP? I dont think so. You will also get the garunteed stability of an intel chipset. I'm running a 540mhz overclock and have not seen one crash yet.

Why upgrade this month when you'll have to do it again in 6 months? Intil may be now with the Northwood, with it's outlandish 800MHz overclocks, but AMD is the future. You can't use the Northwood with Windows XP 64-bit can you? With the x86-64 AMD ClawHammer you can. I'm completely content with my 1GHz AMD Thunderbird AXIA overclocked to 1.4GHz. There isn't anything that brings my CPU to it's knees. Why upgrade right now? With the ClawHammer just beyond the horizon it's looking like a better tomorrow with AMD.

Why is he going to have to upgrade again in 6 months? Now your saying here that nothing can bring your 1.4 tbird to its knees. So a northwood 1.6A should be just fine. Do you know how much a clawhammer and mobo will cost? Do you know when microsoft will release their 64 bit version of XP. Clawhammer is sopposed to be release Q4 ,most people think it will be around christmas, thats not 6 months, more like 9-10. Your saying not to upgrade now because there is something better on the horizon. With that logic why spend money on any technology. Might as well not buy a clawhammer around christmas because 6 months from then there will be a better and improved clawhammer. AMD definatly has a good product on their hands if its released on time, but we still dont know how much it will cost or how good it will perform.

You have seen the AnandTech reviews haven't you???

I've seen the anandtech preview of the clawhammer running 1ghz below spec.

 

[Duvie]

NIce oc insane!!!!

I got my 1.8a @ 2.4ghz 1.65v and 333mhz memory (2525/2526 memory benches)...I need a 3:4 ratio so I can run 355mhz and 2700's in bandwidth...sadly I think I am at my limits in speed without going over my self-stipulated 1.65v ceiling....

You do have decent memory scores thanks in part to the 1.6 being able to oc so far in the fsb category...That 1:1 ratio holds you back on memory abiilty though....


You need to get an ASUS sis mobo and corsair pc2700 memory and run that 160fsb with a 4:5 ratio and run 400ddr...you would be looking at 3000mb/s or pc3000 memory scores...just behind predicted pc1066 rdram...

 

[LukFilm]

<< "what speed is pci bus?"

Asus locks the PCI and AGP @ 33mhz and 66mhz respectively over 133mhz FSB. >>



Is this the case also in P4S333? Because that's what I have and I'm waiting for the 'wood now.

 

[Insane3D]

"Is this the case also in P4S333? Because that's what I have and I'm waiting for the 'wood now. "

Not sure. That's the Sis645 chipset so I don't know if it has the same ability. I originally tried a Sis645 board, the Gigabyte GA-8SRX, but it sucked wind. The onboard sound was defective, and 145mhz FSB was my limit. I picked the i845D this time since it seems to hit such high FSB speeds. I have a feeling it may have to do with the FC-PGA packaging of the northbridge..it looks like a P3. The gigabyte let me change the PCI and AGP speeds independantly, but it didn't seem to have an option to lock them. I'm not sure if this is GB specific, or a limitaion of the Sis645.

 

[Degenerate]

All this talk about it. ITS really making me itch. It makes me want to throw out my P3 600 lol

 

[Mavrick007]

I'm curious where it says that Asus locks the AGP at 66 and the PCI at 33 on the P4b266 series above 133Mhz fsb?
I hadn't heard that. All I heard was that some mobo manufacturers were locking the PCI/AGP bus now so that you didn't have to worry about the changes to the fsb, not just at a certain threshold and above.

I'd just like to see the info. Could you please point out a link or pg in the manual?

 

[gregor7777]

Everyone and their mother (well, not everyone's mothers) have been lovin' some AMD for the last two years for good reason. Why? Performance for a low price coming in a time when Intel had stagnated without compitition and prices hiked (for Intel). AMD comes in with affordable CPU's that perform the same as their Intel counterparts, if not better, for half the price. Add in excellent overclockability and you had a winner.

Fast forward to today, and Intel has learned its lesson. From a consumer standpoint, a victory was won. Thanks AMD! Intel now puts out a highly o/c'able CPU at AMD like pricing, and everybody's a winner.

That being said, why are you AMD fanboi's crying? Put whatever you want in your system (AMD in mine) that is the most efficient/overclockable/best priced CPU that't out there when YOU build your system.

I understand product loyalty, but why the bashing?

 

[nortexoid]

i WAS gonna upgrade to an XP rig, but lately I've been eying the just as cheap 1.6A northwood & MSI 645 Ultra combo....first time I've used intel since my 486 DX2/66 5volt overdrive upgrade chip...crazy.

good to hear that EVERYONE si able to overclock these babies quite successfully...northwood, here i come!

 

[Amused]

What amazes me is how EMOTIONALLY attached people become to a processor or company. They become so attached, that they actually hate the competition, even though they have no vested interest in the company, beyond their irrational emotions.

 

[LikeLinus]

I JUST purchased an xp 1800+ and a EPoX 8hka+ a month or so ago....i'm already wanting a NW 1.6 heheh. Those chips just look awesome and the overclockablity is great. I'm not sure if i'd really notice the difference (because i'm running my XP @ 1677mhz). But damn i'm so tempted to buy a combo right now..lol