Overclocking - A Natural Thing To Do

So what's next after you've spent your fortune on the latest and greatest Athlon XP processor? Well, for most power users like us, overclocking is just the most logical step forward into determining what's the most you can get out of your processor.

For those who didn't know, Barton is AMD's codename for their latest Athlon XP processors featuring a larger 512KB of Level 2 cache. Compared to the previous generation of processors known as Thoroughbred, the additional 256KB of Level 2 cache has managed to help AMD push their processor ratings a little higher. If you've yet to read the Athlon XP 3000+ review, I suggest that you read it here first.

Logically, if you do intend to overclock the Barton core, it's always more economical to start with a slower processor rating, say, the 2800+. There's nothing wrong with using the 3000+ model except that you're paying a lot more and you may end up getting the same mileage as a cheaper 2800+ processor. However, there's always the chance that you're getting a higher quality chip to start with, but as the saying goes, overclocking depends a lot on luck.

In this review, we will explore the possibility of overclocking the Barton core using a VapoChill CPU cooling system. The next few pages, you'll find benchmarking results of the Barton core at very high clock speeds. With this type of extreme cooling, does it have what it takes to speed past the competition? Read on to find out.