CPU Performance Overview Q1/1999

AMD

The new Celerons will give AMD a really hard time. K6-3 seems to be late, which isn't really surprising if we look at what happened with K6-2 or K6 in the last two years. K6-2 has hardly got a chance against Celeron, or at least not at the price point it's selling right now. The performance chart will show you that even Celeron 366 is already faster than K6-2 400. Celeron 366 sells for less than K6-2 400 right now, so that AMD will feel forced to adapt K6-2-prices to Intel's new low-cost/high-performance CPUs.

The Test Systems

For the CPU comparison chart all Intel CPUs were tested in the following Slot1-system:

• Asus P2B motherboard with Intel 440BX chipset
• 128 MB PC100 DIMM (Kingston w/Micron chips)
• Hercules Dynamite TNT graphics adapter, 90/110 clock, NVIDIA reference driver 0048
• Adaptec 2940U2W PCI SCSI host controller
• IBM DGVS 09U UW-SCSI hard drive
• 3Com 3C905B-TX Ethernet adapter

All AMD CPUs were tested in the following Super7-system:

• Asus P5A motherboard with Ali's Aladdin V chipset, revision E
• 128 MB PC100 DIMM (Kingston w/Micron chips)
• Hercules Dynamite TNT graphics adapter, 90/110 clock, NVIDIA reference driver 0048
• Adaptec 2940U2W PCI SCSI host controller
• IBM DGVS 09U UW-SCSI hard drive
• 3Com 3C905B-TX Ethernet adapter

Windows 98, 1024x768x16 resolution, 85 Hz refresh rate

For 3D StudioMax Windows NT4 SP3, 1024x768x16 resolution, 85 Hz refresh rate

For the Socket370 comparison we used the following system configuration:

• Intel 440ZX chipset:
• SuperPower SP-7XZA motherboard with onboard Creative ES1373 sound chip (disabled)
• Intel 440LX chipset:
• SuperPower SP-7XLA motherboard with onboard Creative ES1373 sound chip (disabled)
• VIA Apollo Pro Plus chipset:
• TMC TI7NBA motherboard

All tests were performed with special Intel evaluation samples of the new Celeron processors, which were neither multiplier nor FSB-clock locked. This does not mean that the final Celeron processors will still be overclockable!

All K6-2 tests were using the new 'CXT' core of K6-2, including the new write-combining feature.