Benchmark Analysis
When teamed with the an i850 motherboard and RDRAM memory, the Pentium 4-2.2 GHz is an exceptional performer and takes at least part of the speed crown back from AMD. This is a given, as it has been confirmed by both the benchmark scores and through real-world testing. This combination is very fast, and the enhancements of the Pentium 4 Northwood seem to fit this platform like a glove.
In comparisons between the i845D and competing AMD DDR chipsets like the nForce and KT266A, it gets a lot murkier. The Athlon XP 2000+ gets the slight nod, but even here it is almost too close to call. Basically, we'd call it a near-draw as far as comparable DDR platforms go, when talking about a Pentium 4-2.2 GHz vs. Athlon XP 2000+ comparison. Moving any lower on the Pentium 4 scale only increases the lead of the Athlon XP 2000+.
This makes AMD a comparatively better value, but with some noticeable trade-offs. With a lower voltage and a smaller core, the new Pentium 4 processors run much cooler (32-34 degrees C, air cooled) than the Athlon XP, and have the potential (depending on your system components) of higher overclock results by increasing the FSB.
Where the differences between the Pentium 4 Northwood core really become apparent is in real-world use. Benchmarks tell part of the tale, but actually using the systems for basic tasks and gaming shows off some of the advantages of the 512K L2 cache. In many ways, it is similar to the difference between a 128K Celeron and a 256K Pentium III (Coppermine core), but a bit less pronounced. When performing complex tasks or during high-end gaming use, we could feel the difference when switching from the Pentium 4-2.0 GHz to one of the newer Northwood models.
What Does the Future Hold?
Now that Intel has taken the wraps off their 0.13-micron Northwood core, what do they do for an encore? The natural route would be to steadily raise core speeds and introduce newer, faster models as the market or their competition demands. By being the first to hit the 0.13-micron mark in performance desktop processors, Intel has a real advantage over AMD but we'll have to see how far they intend to push it. Quickly ramping up to 2.4 GHz or higher could really hurt AMD, but may not be the most profitable move Intel could make.
Other than basic core speed jumps, there are two other areas that Intel may explore in the future: a faster 533 MHz CPU bus for their performance Pentium 4 line, and introducing a value Celeron processor based on a modified Pentium 4 core. The 533 MHz bus is a no-brainer, as this would offer the best method of increasing overall system performance and make the best use of the Pentium 4's incredibly high clock rates. In fact, VIA Technologies lists the 533 MHz bus as a supported feature of the P4X266A, intended for "upcoming processors". Since the chipset supports the Pentium 4 only, it's pretty easy to figure out what's going on.
The proposed move to a Celeron model using the Pentium 4 core is a bit tougher one to gauge. On one hand, the introduction of the Pentium 4 Northwood has almost created a Celeron area with the older models that have only 256K of L2 cache. Previous Celeron designs have used half the L2 cache of the performance models, and even the current Celeron 1.2 and 1.3 GHz models make use of 256K L2 cache as well. Then again, it would be doubtful that current Pentium 4 owners would cotton to having their "high end" Pentium 4 immediately turned into a Celeron and Intel may actually lower the Celeron's L2 cache to 128K. Either way, don't expect the new Celerons anytime soon, as Intel will likely let the dust settle before shaking up the market once again.
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