Product Reviews

Intel's budget Celeron processor has recently been reinvented. The new 1.2GHz version is the first Celeron to have 256K cache, and the new 0.13-micron 'Tualatin' core. 0.13-micron refers to the size of the individual gates of the circuitry that processes your software. They have been reduced in size from 0.18 micron, and the smaller process makes for less unwanted heat during operation. The processor can also be operated at lower voltages, allowing it to be run stably at higher speeds.

Add all of these features together, and the new Celeron is essentially a Pentium III with a 100MHz front-side bus rather than 133MHz. This only applies to Celeron processors at 1.2GHz and higher. Below 1.2GHz, Celerons

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are based on the older 0.18-micron process. And Celeron processors below 800MHz run with a performance-sapping 66MHz front-side bus.

Will it work on my PC?

At clock speeds of up to 1.1GHz, the Celeron should generally work with old Socket 370 motherboards. For chips of 1.2GHz and above, however, you'll need to buy a board that is 'Tualatin-ready'. A Tualatin processor will fit into an older Socket 370 board, but it won't boot. Although they look almost identical, a Socket 370 processor will not fit into a Socket A motherboard.

Performance

The Celeron is the slowest processor in this group test, though it runs a little faster with DDR memory. This holds true in 2D and in 3D. Although it's much better than previous Celerons, it's still crippled by its slow front-side bus.

Overall

Up to 1.1GHz, the Celeron isn't a bad upgrade chip for owners of older Socket 370 systems. You'll probably have to do a BIOS update if your system's more than six months old, but otherwise you should be able to stick it into your old system and be up and running in no time. The 1.2GHz model, on the other hand, is less attractive. If you're going to have to get a new motherboard and a new processor, why not go for a Duron? It costs less and it's much more powerful.