Note: For up to the minute 6x86MX information
please visit my 6x86MX FAQ.Introduction Rather than do a massive review of the 6x86MX 83/208
PR266 and repeat the fact that the 6x86MX 83/208 PR266 achieves low scores on CPU,
multimedia and FPU performance tests, but runs typical business applications blazingly
fast, I decided to do something different. After all, I have stated all of these facts
many times before. If you want the minute 6x86MX performance details and a breakdown of
the 6x86MX architecture, check out my earlier reviews of the 6x86MX
PR200 and 6x86MX PR233.
Listed below are the top ten questions that I anticipate you will have about the latest 6x86MX offering from Cyrix/IBM. 1. What is the difference between the PR266 and the other 6x86MX parts. The PR266 is the newest arrival to the 6x86MX family of processors. The only difference between the siblings is that the PR266 is the youngest, fastest, and most elusive of the bunch. Architecturally, all 6x86MX parts are exactly the same. 2. Is the PR266 based on a 0.25 micron process? No, the 83/208 is based on a 5x9 0.35 micron manufacturing process. However, 0.25 micron 6x86MX parts are included in IBM's technology roadmap. Expect to see these parts come off their fabrication lines in the 2nd half of 1998. 3. What is the core voltage of the PR266? The core voltage remains at 2.9V. 4. When will the PR266 be available? It is available in limited quantities now. 5. Where can I buy the PR266? Like the 83/166 PR233, the 83/208 PR266 initially will only be available to OEMs. This means the only way to obtain an 83/208 is to buy a new system. However, IBM hopes to make individual tray units generally available once there is a wide selection of qualified 83Mhz mainboards. They anticipate that this will happen in the mid-March timeframe. A current list of IBM 6x86MX 83MHz motherboard solutions is available here. For the short term, IBM is only going to sell the 83/208 to OEMs who use motherboards that are designed to support 83Mhz. 6. How much will the PR266 cost? Pricing information for the 83/208 has not been released. 7. Should I get excited about the PR266? It depends on your viewpoint. If you are an optimist, you should be excited because the 6x86MX MHz curve is inching forward and 75/225 parts are just around the corner. If you are a pessimist, you realize there is no point in getting enthused about a part that you can't buy at your favorite computer shop.
The 83/208 PR266 outperforms the K6/266 on the Winstone 97 benchmark. This should not come as a surprise because Cyrix/IBM have retained the gold medal for Socket-7 Winstone 97 benchmark performance since the early days of the 6x86 Classic. Although the K6/266 may not outperform the 6x86MX PR266, it does have significant advantages. The K6/266 utilizes the current industry standard 66MHz bus speed and is based on a more advanced 0.25 micron manufacturing process. As a result, the K6/266 requires a lower core voltage (2.2V), less power, and dissipates less heat. These are huge selling points! Unfortunately, AMD is current only selling limited quantities of the K6/266 to Compaq and IBM. 9. Does the PR266 outperform the Pentium II/266?
Personally, I place little faith in the WinTune 97 benchmark. The Winstone benchmark is much better in my opinion. It is also the industry standard. The Winstone 97 benchmark shows that the 83/208 falls short of an optimized PII/266 system. 10. Can you give us a glimpse of things to come? I received an early 6x86MX engineering sample that is rated to run at 75/225 in addition to 83/208. The 75/225 6x86MX is definitely worth getting excited about! While the 83/208 falls short of an optimized PII/266 system, the 75/225 pins the tail on the PII/266 donkey. Unfortunately, a release date and official PR rating for the 75/225 has not been announced. |
8.
Does the PR266 outperform the K6/266?
According to