Intel’s 925XE Chipset & 1066FSB Processors Arrive

Doom 3 & Conclusion

DOOM 3

Results: This chart shows why AMD Athlon 64 processors have become the CPU of choice for gamers over the past year. The under $300 Athlon 64 3500+ Socket 939 processor is only one frame per second away from the most expensive desktop CPU that Intel makes — the $999 3.46EE!

Nathan Kirsch’s Thoughts:

It is clear that by raising the front side bus to 1066MHz Intel was able to get a small performance increase out of the Pentium 4 processor. It is something that is logical to do and to be honest this is something the overclocking community has been doing for some time. Enthusiasts have always lowered down the multiplayer and raised the front side bus. The only thing that is different this time is that Intel is doing it!

As some of our benchmarks showed the AMD 4000+ and even the sub $300 3500+ processors proved to be a challenge for the $999 flagship of the Intel processor lineup. This brings up the whole price versus performance situation. While Intel may not like how close some of the scores are, I’m sure the consumer does! Besides, competition between AMD and Intel is good and is something that was not there just a couple years ago.

Overclockers should love this new Intel chipset. This motherboard will work on 800 and 1066 FSB processors, so if you’re looking to overclock an entry level Socket T Prescott processor this is the board for you. ASUS and ABIT have both mentioned to us that their Intel 925XE boards should be great for gamers and enthusiasts looking to overclock. I guess time will tell once those boards hit the market.

Legit Bottom Line:

The Intel 925XE chipset and the 1066FSB 3.46EE Processor are a step in the right direction for Intel. If you were waiting for the new chipsets to come that support 800 and 1066 FSB processors your wait is over and it should hold you over and work with the new dual core processors!