2 Different P4 3.06.. Confused

[lopri]

For my pc upgrade, I've been searching for a CPU around 3.0Ghz and forgive me, I'm a bit confused of what to choose. My current system is i850E chipset (533FSB, Rambus Ram), and there seem to be 2 different socket 478 - One is Northwood, and the other is Prescott.

Look down the middle

Below are 2 different specs that are confusing me.

Socket 478 : 533 FSB / 512K Cache -- Northwood?
Socket 478 : 533 FSB / 1MB Cache -- Prescott?

Will my board (i850E) and memory (RDRAM) be able to handle both types of CPUs? If so, which one should I go for? Price differences seem minimal.

Thanks in advance for any input.

lop

P.S. To Mod: I posted this in GH forum but later I realized this is a more appropriate forum. If it's against the forum rule (cross post) please delete the one in GH forum.

 

[Alkaline5]

I just answered you in the GH forum, but if I'd realized that you'd posted here too I would have just ignored you.

 

[Blain]

I don't see two different 3.06 CPUs, other than one being an OEM and the other a Retail boxed version.
Remember... 3.0 CPUs are not the same as 3.06. 3.0 = 200/800 FSB & 3.06 = 133/533 FSB.

 

[lopri]

Sorry for the confusion. (But it's really confusing to me)
I was talking about 2.8GHz one, not 3.06. I've been looking to upgrade my current 2.26C (850E chipset - Socket 478, 0.13Micron, 533MHz FSB, and 512K L2 Cache) and was gonna get a chip around 3GHz, and found there are quite a few versions of P4 2.8s.

Look here

*2.8A: Prescott, Socket 478, L2/1MB, FSB 533MHz, 90nm
*2.8B: Northwood, Socket 478, L2/512KB, FSB 533MHz, 130nm
*2.8C: Northwood, Socket 478, L2/512KB, FSB 800MHz, 130nm
*2.8E: Prescott, Socket 478, L2/1MB, FSB 800MHz, 90nm
*2.8 520: Prescott, Socket 775, L2/1MB, FSB 800MHz, 90nm
*2.8 Xeons (not my interest)

Now we have 5 different flavors of 2.8s!

So it seems my 2.26 is 2.26"B" indeed and no problem upgrading to 2.8B. My question is - Although I don't understand why intell even bother producing new core CPUs with 533MHz FSB - Can I also upgrade to 2.8A? As mentioned before my current board is 850E, so it has 533MHz FSB and uses Socket 478. The differences between "A" and "B" are L2 size and die size.

Possible?

lop

 

[Blain]

Hyperthreading only came in on the 3.06 "B's". The 2.8 "B's" don't have it.
If that makes any difference to you.

Why play around with a 2.26-2.8 upgrade... why not go as far as your MB will let you and get the 3.06?

Put Prescotts out of your mind with that 850E MB!

 

[LTC8K6]

FYI, the 2.4 & 2.8 533MHZ fsb Prescotts lack hyperthreading.

 

[lopri]

Yeah maybe I'll get 3.06B, but I still don't understand why there exists 2.8A. Prescott is a new core, with 90nm fab process - why make a FSB 533MHz version?? Which chipset supports that chip? I know FSB 800Mhz version of chipsets may support it, but when there already is 2.8E (Prescott, 800MHz FSB), it's a no brainer picking 533MHz over 800MHz. Then what's the use of 2.8A Prescott with 533MHz FSB??

Very curious.

 

[LTC8K6]

The idea was probably so that boards like yours, and older boards could use a Prescott. A lot of those boards don't support hyperthreading anyway, and maybe people would want to bite on the extra cache.

It probably stems from having to try to see so far ahead when you make decisions.

The 1Mb cache 533mhz fsb Prescotts without HT may seem odd now, but when the decision was made to produce them, they probably made good sense.

Then you'd have to ask why there are only a 2.4 and a 2.8? Who knows?

 

[Blain]

All Intel based chipsets since the old 850e support hyperthreading.

 

[lopri]

So my question is, would 2.8A (Prescott, 533MHz FSB, 90nm) fit my board (Gigabyte 8IHXP - Intel 850E)? I know my board supports Hyperthreading.

 

[LTC8K6]

Why are you worried about HT with a chip that doesn't have it?

 

[Blain]

"would 2.8A (Prescott, 533MHz FSB, 90nm) fit my board (Gigabyte 8IHXP - Intel 850E)? I know my board supports Hyperthreading."

No... Don't you get it?
The ONLY CPUs that would...
A. Be an upgrade for you,
B. Be supported by your 850E MB,

Are the...
2.4b 533 Northwood wo/HT,
2.5a 400 Northwood wo/HT,
2.5b 533 Northwood wo/HT,
2.6a 400 Northwood wo/HT,
2.66b 533 Northwood wo/HT,
2.8b 533 Northwood wo/HT,
3.06 533 Northwood w/HT

> The End <

 

[lopri]

Umm.. mmkay, to make it clear, I'll probably get 3.06 533 Northwood. That's the end of story on my part.

Out of curiosity, though, is there any other chipset that supports only 533 MHz and requires Prescott core? Why does intel bother producing 533 MHz FSB chip in a new core when 800 MHz FSB has been supported from previous revision? The use of 2.8A - Prescott core (90nm), HT, 1 MB L2, then 533MHz FSB - escapes me. What chipset is it supposed to run on??

Please enlighten me.

 

[LTC8K6]

The 533Mhz bus Prescotts do not have hyperthreading, first of all.

They are for S478 boards that do not support a higher FSB than 533, obviously.

They may even be Prescott cores that failed validation of HT or 800mhz bus.

They may even be Prescott/Celeron D's on which all of the cache works.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: lopri
Umm.. mmkay, to make it clear, I'll probably get 3.06 533 Northwood. That's the end of story on my part.

Out of curiosity, though, is there any other chipset that supports only 533 MHz and requires Prescott core?[/b]

No.

Why does intel bother producing 533 MHz FSB chip in a new core when 800 MHz FSB has been supported from previous revision? The use of 2.8A - Prescott core (90nm), HT, 1 MB L2, then 533MHz FSB - escapes me. What chipset is it supposed to run on??

Please enlighten me.

Because the market demands it - there are still cheap motherboards that don't support 800FSB, and people who have older motherboards who like to upgrade.

Stuff like the 2.8A are mainly for overclockers and OEM companies (and retail ones as well) that like to rip off their customers (no joke - Dell does this nonsense all the time).