The Pentium 4-2.53 and 2.4B GHz

These new Pentium 4 processors are not all that different from the previous models, as other than the 533 MHz bus speed jump, the rest of the Northwood specifications remain exactly the same. This includes a 0.13-micron die, support for SSE2, 512K of L2 cache, and a 1.5V core voltage, along with the other basic features of the Pentium 4. Even the core revisions of the Pentium 4-2.53 and 2.4B GHz review chips checked out the same as the previous Pentium 4-2.4 GHz, although Intel commonly does move to a new core revision soon after a major transition takes place.

There has been a lot of anticipation regarding the Pentium 4's transition to the 533 MHz front-side bus, for both performance considerations and platform support. Currently, the Pentium 4 line makes use of a standard 400 MHz FSB speed and is matched up with RDRAM, DDR or SDRAM platforms. The move to the 533 MHz FSB also brings with it a few new platforms, both from Intel and 3rd-party manufacturers. Some of these, like the SiS 645DX, are available now, while others will be released a bit further down the road. To coincide with the 533 MHz Pentium 4 release, Intel has introduced the i850E RDRAM chipset, and are rumored to have an i845E out soon after.

This is a double-edged sword for AMD, since not only has Intel jacked up Pentium 4 clock rates even further, but have also put additional FSB distance between the top-end AMD and Intel processors. The new platforms are the final blow, and many enthusiasts have been lured over to the Intel side with promises of a true 533 MHz FSB and unlimited overclocking possibilities. AMD still competes well in both price and performance, but Intel has really wowed us with their consistent improvements to their desktop platforms and the rapid speed increases to the Pentium 4 line.

With Intel introducing a Pentium 4-2.53 GHz with a 533 MHz front-side bus, the question isn't which company will have the fastest processor, but the margin of victory. Both Intel and AMD have taken decidedly different paths to CPU glory, but it seems that Intel's strategy of incredibly high clock speeds is at least the present winner. Sure, the Athlon XP can more with less clock speed, but at the end of the day, overall performance is still the determining factor.