AMD Athlon XP 2200+ Thoroughbred Review - Page 10

Value

The Athlon XP 2200+ is already on the streets, and prices seem to be in the range of $240-$250. This compares to the Athlon XP 2100 at $180, and the $145 price tag of the Athlon XP 2000+. These price levels differentiate the AMD line quite well and entail at least some sort of premium associated with buying the fastest AMD processor. This also places the Athlon XP 2200+ directly on a crash course for the Pentium 4-2.26 GHz, and sits well below the 2.4 GHz model. AMD looks to be in good shape with the Athlon XP 2200+ pricing, but if Intel hits back with lower prices on the very-attractive Pentium 4-2.26 GHz, we may have a different story.

Conclusion

With the high anticipation associated with the Athlon XP Thoroughbred, we can't but feel a bit of a letdown. Perhaps we're spoiled with the Pentium 4 Northwood, but there just isn't the headroom you would expect with such a large shrink in the die size. The Athlon XP 2200+ is still a great performance option, and for new system buyers thinking of going AMD, the Athlon XP Thoroughbred is a wish come true and will likely prove extremely popular. Upgrades are a bit more problematic, as the Thoroughbred offers neither the performance nor overclocking to get users to dump their Palomino CPUs.

Pros:

• Good Price-Performance
• Runs Cooler than Palomino
• Upgrade-Friendly

Cons:

• Definitely not Northwood Country
• Disappointing Overclocking
• 266 MHz FSB

Ratings: