Following on from Stimpy's article AMD's best kept Secret ! Just thought I would give you the heads up on the latest developments in the so called "obsolete" Athlon XP line of CPU's... The Mobile Athlon XP-M 2500+ seems to be AMD's latest overclocking king, news is starting to spread through the various enthusiast forums now, and the resulst are amazing! Some people are getting 2.7GHz and MORE!
Needless to say, the TechReport couldn't sit this one out, so last week they ordered up an Athlon XP-M 2500+, and have spent the last 24 hours or so putting it through its paces. Read on to find out more about this overclocking wonder, and see how our particular chip fared. The first question in many people's minds is: What's up with putting a mobile chip in a desktop system? Well, there are a couple of important factors that make the XP-M such a desirable chip from an overclocking standpoint. The first is the default voltage of the chip. Desktop Athlon XP 2500+ chips run at a frequency of 1.8GHz using a default voltage of 1.65V. That's fine for desktop systems that don't have to worry about power consumption or battery life, but it's a different story for mobile systems.
Because voltage relates directly to power consumption, one way to cut down on the amount of power used in a mobile application would be to lower the core voltage of the processor. Of course, it's not quite that simple. Some 2500+ chips may continue to run properly at 1.8GHz if their core voltage is set below 1.65V, but others may become unstable or crash outright at anything below 1.65V. Every chip is different in this regard, and you won't know until you try.
AMD does in fact use this method for the Athlon XP-M. Basically, they test their chips and determine which 2500+ chips can maintain their 1.8GHz clock speed properly with only 1.45V of core voltage instead of 1.65V. Chips that pass this test can then be set to a default voltage of 1.45V and sold as Athlon XP-Ms. Essentially, the XP-M 2500+ is the cream of the crop within its speed grade. Not only can it do 1.8GHz, it can do it with one hand tied behind its back, so to speak.
Overclocking the Athlon XP-M 2500+ Processor
Needless to say, the TechReport couldn't sit this one out, so last week they ordered up an Athlon XP-M 2500+, and have spent the last 24 hours or so putting it through its paces. Read on to find out more about this overclocking wonder, and see how our particular chip fared. The first question in many people's minds is: What's up with putting a mobile chip in a desktop system? Well, there are a couple of important factors that make the XP-M such a desirable chip from an overclocking standpoint. The first is the default voltage of the chip. Desktop Athlon XP 2500+ chips run at a frequency of 1.8GHz using a default voltage of 1.65V. That's fine for desktop systems that don't have to worry about power consumption or battery life, but it's a different story for mobile systems.
Because voltage relates directly to power consumption, one way to cut down on the amount of power used in a mobile application would be to lower the core voltage of the processor. Of course, it's not quite that simple. Some 2500+ chips may continue to run properly at 1.8GHz if their core voltage is set below 1.65V, but others may become unstable or crash outright at anything below 1.65V. Every chip is different in this regard, and you won't know until you try.
AMD does in fact use this method for the Athlon XP-M. Basically, they test their chips and determine which 2500+ chips can maintain their 1.8GHz clock speed properly with only 1.45V of core voltage instead of 1.65V. Chips that pass this test can then be set to a default voltage of 1.45V and sold as Athlon XP-Ms. Essentially, the XP-M 2500+ is the cream of the crop within its speed grade. Not only can it do 1.8GHz, it can do it with one hand tied behind its back, so to speak.
Overclocking the Athlon XP-M 2500+ Processor
