Duron Query.

Terminat. · Apr 24, 2004

I am considering purchasing a Duron 1800 for a cheap computer I am going to build. The Duron processors are appallingly cheap: it costs only £45 for a motherboard and a Duron 1.8!

The question is: does the price represent the performance of it? How good is an 1800?

fletch · Apr 24, 2004

Well, from the Durons i've used - "they're OK" pretty much sums it up. If you're going to be using the machine for net/email/word processing, and maybe a little gaming, it should serve you well. If you want the additional performance, shell out the extra $ or £ for an Athlon XP.

wju425 · Apr 24, 2004

Durons runs pretty damn good and I'm thinking about getting a 1.8 too. Right now it seems that the cpu prices are a bit high.

Quailane · Apr 25, 2004

Well, from the Durons i've used - "they're OK" pretty much sums it up. If you're going to be using the machine for net/email/word processing, and maybe a little gaming, it should serve you well. If you want the additional performance, shell out the extra $ or £ for an Athlon XP.

I have the choice of either a barton 2500+ at 11 multiplier and duron 1.4Ghz at 12.5 multiplier, and I am running the duron. I don't really think fletch knows what he is talking about because I haven't experienced any of his problems. The duron at even same speeds is only a few percent behind the barton I have. A 200mhz speed over the 1.85Ghz barton pushes it out clearly ahead. The 3dmark score for duron is a little higher, but otherwise the difference is indistinguishable in gaming and everything else. Barton not worth it at all.

Sentential · Apr 25, 2004

Durons are perfectally fine. My Tbred hangs with the big boys. The main difference AFAIK between the various chips is *how* they handle memory.

Durons will never be as good as a Tbred or a Barton. But it comes awefully close. Too close to count...UNLESS you're OCing to the top end. Mainly its a matter of the FSB. Bartons have the highest achievable FSB followed by Tbreds... then Durons.

AFAIK

Max FSB for Barton: 250 - 270
Max FSBfor Tbred: 240 - 245
Max FSB for Duron: 220-230

Unless you are looking for more than this..... I say go with the Duron.

Quailane · Apr 25, 2004

The main difference AFAIK between the various chips is *how* they handle memory.

What?

Sentential · Apr 25, 2004

Max FSB for Barton: 250 - 270
Max FSBfor Tbred: 240 - 245
Max FSB for Duron: 220-230

Its a matter of the max FSB achievable / memory bandwith. Bartons have a revised core that improves memory rates slightly... same thing with Tbreds..... other than that there is no difference.

You will only notice it if you max out the CPU....thus my need for a mobile Barton. Not for the xtra mhz, but for the FSB. My tbred wont go past 243mhz

Quailane · Apr 25, 2004

I guess we should assume that Terminat won't be reaching for 250 fsb anyway. Plus, how do duron and tbred reach different max fsb's? They are the exact same silicon.

Sentential · Apr 25, 2004

Quailane said:
I guess we should assume that Terminat won't be reaching for 250 fsb anyway. Plus, how do duron and tbred reach different max fsb's? They are the exact same silicon.

Its easy... AMD revised the core 3 times, they are *NOT* using the same silicon. The traces for each core is *completely* different. The oldest core was the Duron, then the Tbred, then Barton. Thus the Barton is *the* most efficient and best designed CPU. Thus it goes higher... why? Im not sure exactally.

The XS / TXF guys have tabbed this stuff out. Generally Tbreds max out @ 245, and Bartons @ 250-270.

fletch · Apr 25, 2004

I have the choice of either a barton 2500+ at 11 multiplier and duron 1.4Ghz at 12.5 multiplier, and I am running the duron. I don't really think fletch knows what he is talking about because I haven't experienced any of his problems.

My 1.2 Duron at 1400 processed workunits and such noticably slower than the 1333 Tbird at stock. They may be better now, but I'm speaking from my experiences.

Edit: I browsed around some, and they seem comparable nowadays, with mostly insignificant differences. My mistake on the newer ones.

Sentential · Apr 25, 2004

fletch said:
My 1.2 Duron at 1400 processed workunits and such noticably slower than the 1333 Tbird at stock. They may be better now, but I'm speaking from my experiences.

Edit: I browsed around some, and they seem comparable nowadays, with mostly insignificant differences. My mistake on the newer ones.

I dont doubt your judgement. Pplz have different experiences with stuff. Personally I wouldnt seek a Duron chip ATM... especially since Bartons are so cheap. But if ur lookin to build an internet box.. then so be it, it will work just fine

Biggles 266 · Apr 25, 2004

If I took an unlocked Duron, and bunged it in an NF7 with OCZ PC4200 RAM, I could set the FSB to 267 MHz. And it would work at that, with a reduced multiplier so that the overall clock speed wouldn't go over the top. Say 267 * 7. Only 1869 MHz, but with a huge FSB.

And the current Durons are basically T-Bred's with disabled cache. Which in some cases can be re-enabled. I have a Duron 1.6 GHz, great chip. Overclocks really well when you throw volts at it, that 1.6 GHz is done on 1.5 Volts after all. Some have been known to do over 2.4 GHz.

Quailane · Apr 25, 2004

Mine can do 2.5Ghz for a little bit, the 200Mhz fsb is not stable on my crappy board with any multiplier. Comp crashes while loading windows untill only 170 fsb. I think that you can get a good, unlocked duron that goes pretty high. The best thing to get would be a mobile barton though. To overclock really high, you almost always need an unlocked chip, and only durons are unlocked sometimes and mobiles unlocked all the time. Price/performance the duron wins hands down, but overall the mobile is better if you can afford it.

Duron Query.

Terminat.

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fletch

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wju425

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Quailane

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Sentential

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Quailane

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Sentential

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Quailane

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Sentential

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fletch

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Sentential

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Biggles 266

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Quailane

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