Wednesday, January 31, 2001

The AMD Atlon Thunderbird 1.2Ghz DDR266 processor

Apart from the letter "C" that appears after the AMD Athlon DDR266's id number (which replaces the "B" we've come to know and love), little sets the new Athlon apart from the older T-Birds. In this section then, we'll essentially be reviewing the familiar features of the Athlon family, which now includes the Duron and Thunderbird CPUs.

First off, the next CPU's out of AMD are expected to be clocked at 1266Mhz, 1300Mhz, 1333Mhz, and 1400Mhz respectively.

If we compare the energy consumption and heat dissipation of this processor, one may find that the 1200MHz - or, if you prefer, 1.2GHz - model consumes more power, and radiates off more heat than ever. Most Athlon processors work with a voltage ranging from 1.75 to 1.85v, which sustains them at speeds ranging from 650MHz to a yet-to-be-released height of 1.4GHz.

As for current, well, you might be surprised to see your Athlon consume anywhere from 22 to 43 amps! The T-Bird 1.2GHz, for instance, consumes a hefty 38 amps; which just goes to show why its important to buy a motherboard with a solid voltage regulator circuit.

All this energy consumption of course naturally leads to the generation of equally courageous amounts of heat. The Athlon 650MHz, for one, dissipates 38 Watts. The much-anticipated 1400MHz model is expected to dissipate a whooping 76 Watts of heat. The 1200MHz model, on the other hand, dissipates exactly 66 Watts of thermal energy, and necessitates the installation of high-quality heatsink/fan system to keep from over-heating.

All that aside, one thing sets the DDR266 generation of AMD Athlons apart from the previous generation, and that is its employment of a 133MHz front-side bus - rather than the 100MHz of the latter - and takes advantage of the DDR bus technology that AMD has long benefited from. Otherwise, nothing in particular seems to differentiate the new Athlon 133Mhz FSB "Thunderbird" from the old.

Next: The GA-7DX mainboard.