barton or thoroughbred?

[noisedude]

just a quick one - i can have a athlon barton 2500+ or a thoroughbred 2600+ for the same dough. which one should i get? does the new chip and L2 cache make up for the slower speed?

btw, needs to be quick guys, gotta buy in next half hour!!!!

[Optimus Prime]

I'm in your same situation, apart from the 30 mins thing.

[agathodaimon]

well, i'm late....

But I think I'd go for the Thoroughbred... I don't overclock at all, so that's what I would choose.
Just make sure you're getting the 333fsb XP2600 and NOT the 266 one.

[jmichna]

Here's some info to help you decide:
I was running a TBred XP2700+, now running a Barton 2500+ (all other hardware exactly the same)

At default speed (2167mHz) the TBred was completing Seti work units in approx 3 hours and 2 minutes.

The Barton (OC'ed from 1834mHz to 2112mHz) is completing Seti work units in approx 2 hours and 21 minutes.

I was able to OC the TBred XP2700 from 2167mHz up to 2340mHz, but during warmer weather I usually ran it at default speed.

I could probably get $100 or better if I chose to sell that XP2700+.

I am able to OC the Barton 2500 by about 280mHz... others have reported much higher speeds (hesitate to dramatically increase vcore beyond about 1.80... I need better HS/fan... am running ThermalRight AX7, am considering the ThermalRight SLK900U)

[noisedude]

sorry forgot to post the outcome...got the barton in the end, turned out for the same money it came with a cooler and the all-important amd case sticker so really there was no competition when it came down to it...

who you calling sad??

[bugalaman]

um the barton would be the better one. Its 333 fsb and has 512K of cache!

[Optimus Prime]

Originally posted by noisedude
sorry forgot to post the outcome...got the barton in the end, turned out for the same money it came with a cooler and the all-important amd case sticker so really there was no competition when it came down to it...

who you calling sad??

It came with a case sticker? Damn, now i have to get that on Sunday, cheers mate!

[jmichna]

Originally posted by bugalaman
um the barton would be the better one. Its 333 fsb and has 512K of cache!

bugalaman...
If you haven't already done so, you may want to search out and read some reviews pitting the Bartons against the T-Breds.

In noisedude's specific situation, the Barton advantage is not so clear cut. The Barton 2500 runs at a native speed of 1834mHz, while the T-Bred 2600 runs at 2083mHz (333 fsb version) or 2167mHz (266 fsb version).

Which would provide better performance depends on if the applications you run can take advantage of the 512kb L2 cache vs 256kb cache. Also, when buying the Barton 2500, most folks (including me) are expecting to get a CPU that has a lot of OCing head room. If you can get both the T-Bred and the Barton to run at the same mHz on the same fsb speed, then I would agree the Barton is always the better choice.

Plus, you get the nifty case sticker