AMD Athlon XP 2600+: A proud warrior from AMD's Athlon ranks.
Written: May 20 '03 (Updated Aug 02 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great performance for a good price.
Cons: Bigger L2 cache would be appreciated.
The Bottom Line: The 2600+ performs good enough to not be overlooked.
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| rice75's Full Review: AMD Athlon XP 2600+, 2.08 GHz (AXDA2600DKV3D) OEM ... |
For years, Intel reigned supreme atop Mount Processor Performance. Their processors out-performed, out-ran, and out-muscled the competition for a long time. Companies like AMD and Cyrix feverishly attempted to produce a processor that could compete with the Intel lineup but never could quite catch them. That changed about five years ago when AMD released the AMD Athlon and thus began the David versus Goliath match that has been fought over the ensuing five years. For a while, AMD dethroned Intel as the top performer, and I'm sure put quite a scare into the suits at Intel. AMD had one particularly attractive characteristic that Intel could never achieve: a high performance/price ratio. Intel processors have always been more expensive, and thus AMD attracted a loyal following of enthusiasts and PC-builders alike who were looking to save a few dollars without giving up performance. While AMD’s reign at the top has been exciting, Intel’s newest processors have been able to regain the title of top performer, but that in no way should prevent you from taking a hard look at the AMD Athlon XP series. This review is all about the AMD Athlon XP 2600+.
What the heck does XP mean, anyway?
I'm not sure what the XP in Windows XP stands for, but for the AMD Athlon XP it stands for eXtreme Performance. It is the name given to AMD’s latest series of processors. I would imagine that there was a little coat-tailing going on with the Windows franchise, but can you blame them?
Is AMD playing a funny numbers game?
AMD’s numbering system for the XP line of processors is a way AMD is able to market their devices to be on par with similar Intel processors but run at a lower clock speed. For example, the AMD Athlon XP 2600+ runs at 2.083 GHz but has the performance on par with an Intel P4 2.6 GHz. While there may be a debate as to whether this is fair or not, benchmark after benchmark proved that the lower clock speed AMD could hold its own against the higher clock speed Intel’s.
According to AMD’s website FAQ:
… AMD identifies the AMD Athlon XP processor using model numbers, as opposed to megahertz. Model numbers are designed to communicate the relative application performance among the various AMD Athlon XP processors.
The numbering system also is a way to discern the different cores that the processor contains. Currently the XP processors that are shipped have one of two different cores: Thoroughbred B and Barton. Processors that are numbered 2200+ and above have the Thoroughbred B core which has a Front Side Bus (FSB) that runs at 333 MHz. The model numbers 2500+, 2800+, 3000+, and 3200+ sport the Barton core, which ups the Level 2 cache from 256kB to 512kB. The 3200+ also increases the FSB to 400 MHz.
There is a lot more technical talk that I could go into, such as AMD’s QuantiSpeed™ Architecture, hardware pre-fetch and other goodies packed into the AMD Athlon XP 2600+, but I will just point you to AMD’s website (www.amd.com) where a wealth of knowledge can be uncovered.
Does overclocking hurt? It’ll give you more megahertz, that’s for sure!
Overclocking has been another reason why AMD has such a strong following. Early in the Athlon lifetime, people were pumping more MHz out of there processors by overclocking, getting an even bigger bang for their buck. While it is still possible to overclock the various AMD XP processors, that isn’t within the scope of this review. For more information, I point the reader to check out Tom’s Hardware Guide (www.tomshardware.com) for more information regarding overclocking. Suffice it to say that it is possible for the intrepid user to squeeze a few more MHz out of there AMD processor. You just won’t catch me doing it.
What you get:
So now that we know what we’re getting with the AMD Athlon XP 2600+, let’s talk about the actual package you’ll get when you purchase one. The retail packaging of the AMD Athlon XP 2600+ is spartan: the blister pack contains your processor, an AMD approved heat-sink and fan, warranty information and a nice, colorful, foldout installation guide. It is imperative that you follow the guide, step by step, to minimize your chances of damaging your processor.
Installation
In my upcoming guide, about building your computer from scratch, I will delve a little deeper into the actual installation of the processor. Here I will just mention a few things you need to be aware of before making a purchase. While installing the processor is quite simple, you must be sure of two important things before you proceed with the installation. First, you need to make sure that your power supply will be able to supply enough juice for your new processor. Another trip to AMD’s website will provide you a list of approved manufacturers of power supplies that will be able to power your processor. Second, you need to verify that your current motherboard can support your processor. The AMD Athlon XP 2600+ runs with a FSB at 333MHz, so you need to make sure your motherboard will be able to handle this speed, giving you optimal performance. The board I am using is an Asus A7N8X with the nForce2 chipset from nVidia, which fully supports this bus speed. Once you’ve assured that you have the necessary support for your processor, you are ready to install your processor. I strongly encourage you to use the installation guide provided with your processor for successful installation. You can also read my guide for further hints and help.
Let’s talk performance
My current computer setup consists of the following essential components (get used to this list, you’ll see it a lot):
Asus A7N8X Motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2600
512 MB PC2700 RAM, PNY Technologies
Asus V9280/TD GeForce-4 Ti4200 8X 128 MB Video Card (AGP)
Western Digital 120 GB HDD, WD1200JBRTL
Cendyne 48x24x48 CD-RW
ViewSonic A90 19” Monitor
Antec Lanboy Case with 350W SmartBlue ATX12V power supply
Antec 80mm Blue LED Fan
As far as performance is concerned, here are a few commonly used benchmarks used in quantifying a PC’s performance:
3DMark2001 SE (default settings [1024x768/32 bit/60Hz]): 11478 3DMarks
PCMark2002 (default settings) CPU Score : 6153
Quake 3 Arena Demo (Demo001): 216.2 fps
Sandra CPU Arithmetic: 7687 MIPS, 3116 MFLOPS
It should be noted that some of these benchmarks are a function of more than just the processor. While the AMD Athlon XP 2600+ does play a big role in the computer’s overall performance, the graphics card, memory, and motherboard all contribute to the final score. These aren’t quite top-of-the-line numbers but they are right up there with the best of them. The AMD Athlon XP 2600+ performs admirably.
In conclusion…
When considering your next processor, the AMD Athlon XP 2600+ will not be a let-down. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, and instruction for instruction, it will perform admirably and reliably for the near future. When you can’t afford to keep up with the ever changing landscape of PC hardware, AMD’s processors are always a safe bet and the AMD Athlon XP 2600+ is a choice you won’t regret.
(The processor pictured here on Epinions is incorrect but everything else (specs, etc) seem to be in order. The manufacturer part number, AXDA2600DKV3D is exactly what I have on my processor. I took a picture of it before it was installed :])
Recommended:
Yes
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rice75
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Member: Tony Rice
Location: Columbus, OH
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