<!–#set var="article_header" value="Tom's Hardware Speed Project:
Pentium 4, Over 3 GHz!” –>
Can’t Touch This: Breaking Through 3 GHz For The Pentium 4
The new Intel Pentium 4/2200 is certainly not one of the weaker processors of the x86 world, and that was proven in one of our recent comparisons. But still, finding out the true physical limits of the top CPUs is something that continues to concern us. After all, a clock speed of 2200 MHz should not be any sort of a problem for a 0.13 micron design. So, we pulled an all-nighter and hot off the presses here is our take on breaking the 3GHz barrier for the P4. If you want to apply standard air cooling only, you need a specially selected Pentium 4 processor that Intel itself was unable to provide for us. If you possess a water cooling system you can use almost any P4 Northwood at 2.2 GHz or higher.
This shows more than 3 GHz on a Pentium 4.
Our thanks go to a large PC vendor, who was able to give us a hand-picked processor that is particularly suited to air-cooled overclocking. The fact is, the majority of existing, available Pentium 4/2200 CPUs with the Northwood core do not run stably at the extreme clock speeds higher than 3000 MHz, no matter what tricks you use. In any case, going over 3GHz cannot be achieved with traditional CPU coolers based on a heatsink and fan. However, the picture changes completely when you use a high-performance water cooling system, or even a hermetic sub-zero cooling system with an evaporator. Only then can the temperature of the CPU die be kept under 20 degrees Celsius.
We had already discovered some of these issues back in November when we got the first Northwood processor, and are now confident that we can offer you a practical solution. So much for that: this test shows in detail the range of performance capabilities that the Pentium 4 CPUs of the future will have to offer.
Two Pentium4/2200s compared: the version on the left is readily available in stores, while the other model is provided by Intel for internal testing purposes only.
Overclocking In Detail: More Than 3000 MHz Is Possible
Some proof, but not everything: A Pentium 4 at 3010MHz.
The multipliers of all Pentium 4 processors are coded into the SRAM registries of the CPU at the factory, so an increase in clock speed could only be achieved by increasing the FSB clock. Still, the other components that communicate via AGP and PCI bus were hardly overclocked at all, and were almost operated to specification. The platform that we used was the Gigabyte GA-8IRXP motherboard with the Intel 845D chipset. A motherboard with the Intel 850 chipset and Rambus memory was out of the question because RDRAM reacts very sensitively to increases in clock speed. In order to achieve an extremely high CPU clock speed, the following conditions had to be fulfilled: first of all, the CPU core voltage was increased from 1.5 Volt to 1.85 Volt; then, we set up a watercooling system from Innovatek (a popular system from our previous tests), so that the CPU temperature would not increase to over 20 degrees Celsius.
Here it must be noted that only very few boards can allow the CPU core to be adjusted to 1.85 Volt.
You can see Quake III Arena at 308,9 frames.
We set the CPU host frequency to 137MHz x 22 = 3014MHz in the bios.
Overclocking In Detail: More Than 3000 MHz Is Possible, Continued
These are the DRAM timings in the bios.
With water cooling, the die temperature can be kept at 20 degrees Celsius.
No joke! Even with water cooling, you can achieve 0 degrees Celsius on a socket 478 CPU. The trick: Put your heat exchanger outside a window! 🙂
This is our water-cooled heatsink from Innovatek.
The same heatsink, but from a different perspective.
Test Setup
| Intel Hardware Socket 478 |
|
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4/3000A MHz (~548 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/2200A MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/2000A MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/2000 MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/1900 MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/1800 MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/1700 MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/1600 MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/1500 MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) Intel Pentium 4/1400 MHz (400 MHz QDR FSB) |
| Motherboard1 | ASUS P4T-E (I850) Revision: 1.00 |
| Motherboard2 | GIGABYTE GA-8IRXP (P4 Titan DDR) Revision: 2.0 |
| Memory1 | 2 x 128 MB, RDRAM, 400 MHz, Viking |
| Memory2 | 256 MB, DDR-SDRAM, 166 MHz, Micron (DDR333) |
| AMD Hardware Socket 462 |
|
| Processor | AMD Athlon XP 2000+ (1666/266 MHz DDR) AMD Athlon XP 1900+ (1600/266 MHz DDR) AMD Athlon XP 1800+ (1533/266 MHz DDR) AMD Athlon XP 1700+ (1467/266 MHz DDR) AMD Athlon XP 1600+ (1400/266 MHz DDR) AMD Athlon XP 1500+ (1333/266 MHz DDR) AMD Athlon 1400 MHz (1400/266 MHz DDR) |
| Motherboard | EPOX EP-8KHA+ (VIA KT266A) Revision: 2.0. |
| Memory | 256 MB DDR-SDRAM, CL2, PC2100, Micron |
| General Hardware | |
| Graphics Card | GeForce 3 Memory: 64 MB DDR-SDRAM Memory Clock: 400 MHz Chip Clock: 250 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 40 GB, 5T040H4, Maxtor UDMA100, 7200 rpm, 2 MB Cache |
| Drivers & Software | |
| Graphics Driver | Detonator 4 Serie V21.88 |
| DirectX Version | 8.1 |
| IDE Driver | Intel Application Accelerator (IAA, only for P4) |
| OS | Windows XP, Build 2600 (English) |
| Benchmarks & Settings | |
| Quake III Arena | Retail Version 1.16 command line = +set cd_nocd 1 +set s_initsound 0 Graphics detail set to ‘Normal’ Benchmark using ‘Q3DEMO1’ |
| 3DMark2000 | Version 1.1 Build 340 – default Benchmark |
| 3DMark2001 | Build 200 – default Benchmark |
| SiSoft Sandra 2001 | Professional Version 2001.3.7.50 |
| Newtek Lightwave | Rendering Bench SKULL_HEAD_NEWEST.LWS |
| mpeg4 encoding | Xmpeg 4.2a DivX 4.11 Compression: 100 Data Rate: 1500 Kbit Format: 720×576 Pixel@25 fps 150 MB VOB-Datei, no Audio |
| Studio 7 | Version 7.02.7 (MPEG 2) |
| Sysmark 2001 | Patch 3 |
| Lame | Lame 3.89 MMX, SSE, SSE 2, 3DNow |
| WinACE | 2.04, 178 MB Wave-Datei, Best Compression, Dictonary 4096 KB |
| Cinema 4D XL R6 | CineBench 6.103 |
| Suse Linux 7.3 | Kernel 2.4.13 Compiling |
Benchmarks Under Windows XP: Pentium 4 at 3010 MHz
| OpenGL Performance | Quake 3 Arena “Demo 1” |
| Direct3D Performance | 3D Mark 2000 and 3D Mark 2001 |
| 3D-Rendering | Cinema 4D XL R6 |
| 3D-Rendering | SPECviewperf “Lightscape” |
| 3D-Rendering | Lightwave 7 |
| Audio-Encoding MP3 | Lame MP3 Encoder |
| Video-Encoding MPEG-2 | Pinnacle Studio 7 |
| Video-Encoding MPEG-4 | XMpeg 4.2a und Divx 4.2 |
| Office Performance | Sysmark 2001 |
| Archiving | WinACE 2.04 |
| Linux Kernel Compiling | Suse Linux 7.3 (Kernel 2.4.13) |
| SiSoft Sandra 2001 | CPU and Multimedia Bench |
We used a total of 17 different benchmark tests in order to give you a complete picture of what the extremely overclocked Pentium 4 can do. The benchmark results of 17 of the latest processors from AMD and Intel give you a comparative overview. The OpenGL performances are measured through various Quake 3 tests; the Direct3D performance from the DirectX package is measured with 3D Mark 2000 (based on DirectX7) and 3D Mark 2001 (based on DirectX 8). A comprehensive test scenario is created by a variety of benchmarks for MPEG encoding – with the help of the Lame MP3 Encoder, a 178 MB WAV file is converted to the MPEG-1 Layer 3 format. One of the established standards is our MPEG-4 test, in which data from a commercial DVD-ROM is converted into MPEG-4 via Xmpeg and the Divx codec. In addition, an MPEG-2 file is created with tPinnacle Studio 7 video editing software. We have been using the professional Lightwave package version 7b from Newtek to evaluate rendering performance for a while. Also important for practical applications is data-packing; we use WinACE-Packer for this. Compiling the newest Linux Kernel 2.4.13 has long been part of our standard repertoire. In order to test office performance, the Sysmark 2001 benchmark is used.
OpenGL Performance: Quake 3 Arena
In the two time demo runs from Quake 3 Arena, the Pentium 4/3000 achieves an outstanding frame rate.
Direct3D – DirectX 7: 3D Mark 2000
3D Mark 2000 shows the Direct3D performance from DirectX 7 under Windows XP. The Pentium 4 makes it to 10843 points.
Direct3D – DirectX 8: 3D Mark 2001
3D Mark 2001 reveals the Direct3D performance from DirectX 8 under Windows XP.
MP3 Audio Encoding: Lame MP3
With the Lame MP3 Encoder, a 178 MB sound file in WAV format is converted to MPEG-1 Layer 3 format under Windows XP. The chart clearly shows that the extremely overclocked Pentium 4/3000 has a 43-second lead on the Pentium4/2200 series.
Video-Encoding MPEG-4: Flask Mpeg and Divx
SiSoft Sandra Benchmarks: CPU and Multimedia
3D Rendering: Newtek Lightwave 7b
In the Lightwave benchmark, the lead of the Pentium 4/3000 over the flagship P4/2200 becomes all the more evident: while the P4/2200 takes 230.6 seconds for the rendering task, the P4/3000 requires only 170.9 seconds for the same task.
Office Performance: Sysmark 2001
These scores are self-explanatory.
Linux Compilation: Suse Linux 7.3 / Kernel 2.4.13
In compiling the newest Linux kernel, the overclocked Pentium 4/3000 leads the pack: it takes 175 seconds to do the job, while the AMD Athlon XP 2000+ finishes the same task in 202 seconds.
Zipping Files: WinACE 2.04
Packing data is a very practical application. With the help of WinACE 2.04 Packers under Windows XP, a 178 MB WAV file is packed, the time to complete the task is shown.
3D Rendering Performance: SPECviewperf “Lightscape”
In the Lightscape benchmark, the Intel Pentium 4/3000 is clearly ahead of the Pentium 4/2200.
Video Encoding MPEG-2: Pinnacle Studio 7
In encoding an MPEG-2 film with Pinnacle Studio 7, the Intel Pentium 4/3000 is noticeably faster than the Pentium 4/2200.
3D Rendering Performance: Cinema 4D XL R6
Conclusion: Pentium 4 With 3 GHz – The Prospectus For Future CPUs
Our Tom’s Hardware Speed Project shows that it is possible to overclock a Pentium 4/2200 to an extremely high rate of over 3000 MHz, and do so stably. However, special measures are required to ensure that the CPU core remains sufficiently cool. Otherwise, the integrated protection switch (throttling) will activate and turn off the CPU right away. To this end, we set up two different systems with the Pentium 4/2200, the first one with water cooling, and the second with fan cooling.
In the second system, we installed the special hand-picked processor, which we received from a reputable PC manufacturer. This special CPU was striking in its overclocking flexibility. Furthermore, the manufacturer told us that such an extraordinarily high potential is not easy to achieve with every CPU of this class. To sum this up: with an air-cooled system, you can only tweak special, hand-picked Pentium 4 Northwoods, whereas a water cooling system allows you to overclock nearly any P4 Northwood 2.2 GHz CPU to 3000 MHz and higher.
For the test, we worked with a core voltage of 1.85 Volt – factory-delivered Intel processors are only set to 1.5 Volt. The benchmark results seem to set new records: in Quake 3 Arena, the Pentium 4/3000 achieved a frame rate of 308 fps. In comparison, the fastest of the Pentium 4/2200 series reaches 280 fps, at best. In contrast, even an Athlon XP 2000+ that is overclocked to 1850 MHz doesn’t have a ghost of a chance.
It’s interesting to note that in the summer of 1993, the first Pentium ran at 60 MHz. Today, the Tom’s Hardware Speed Project increased that speed by nearly a factor of 50, to reach 3000 MHz. The extensive tests show, without a doubt, that the Pentium 4 based on 0.13 micron technology still hasn’t reached its limit with 3000 MHz, and people are probably going to be pushing it even further, especially the more ambitious users. .
Up to now, we still have not received a Pentium 4 processor with a deactivated multiplier lock from Intel, so the extreme increase in clock speed could only be attained by increasing the FSB clock and using a very effective watercooling system. Despite the fact that the Front Side Bus was overclocked from 100 MHz to 137 MHz, all the other components were run almost according to specification, since the Intel 845D chipset allows asynchronous operation: 137MHz FSB / 4 = 34.2MHz PCI vs. official 33.3MHz; 137MHz FSB / 2 = 68.5MHz AGP vs. official 66.6MHz.
