The Intel 875P Canterwood and Pentium 4-3.0C GHz release once again pushed Intel to the top of the performance desktop market, and showcased the new 800 MHz front-side bus and dual-DDR400 architecture for all to see. This foray into the ultra high-end desktop segment was definitely a bull's-eye, but it certainly didn't do much for the more budget-minded gamer looking for a little 800 MHz lovin'.
Enter the Intel 865 "Springdale" line of chipsets, which include all the basic options of the i875P, while sporting a more mainstream price tag. This was another near-perfect release for Intel, and the company once again encompassed a great many potential markets with their multi-pronged i865PE (mainstream performance, i865G (integrated graphics) and i865P (entry level) Springdale line. This more than satisfied the need for a lower-cost platform, while maintaining the popular dual-channel DDR400, 800 MHz FSB and AGP 8X features of the i875P.
This was a good step, but it only represented half the battle, and Intel needed to make additional 800 MHz Pentium 4 models available to the mass market. These new processors were announced at the time of the i865 chipset launch, and now we're finally able to cover off the technical and performance implications of creating same-speed Pentium 4 CPUs, while utilizing the upgraded 800 MHz front-side bus.
In addition to the powerful Pentium 4-3.0C GHz model, there are three additional Intel processors that use of the 800 MHz front-side bus. These are the Pentium 4-2.8C, 2.6C and 2.4C GHz, and while they do sport the same basic clock speed as their 533 MHz brethren, the additional CPU and memory bandwidth afforded by the 800 MHz FSB is certain to have an impact on overall performance. In terms of chip technology, these new models are equivalent to existing Pentium 4 Northwood processors, featuring 512K L2 cache, a 0.13-micron process and a Socket 478 package.
Another facet of the Pentium 4-2.8C, 2.6C and 2.4C GHz release is the migration of Hyper-Threading technology down to the mainstream. At the present time, the only 533 MHz Pentium 4 featuring HT technology is the Pentium 4-3.06 GHz, but now Intel has made this available at the 2.8, 2.6 and 2.4 GHz levels. This is an important move for both consumers and Intel alike, as Hyper-Threading can give up to a 10% boost in overall performance (depending on the application/game) and by incorporating HT technology into mainstream processors, Intel will achieve higher penetration.
The 800 MHz front-side bus, dual-channel DDR400 and Hyper-Threading are all important factors in determining performance levels, and we've assembled a wide range of comparison processors for our high-end benchmarking section.
