Performance in Scientific Applications

Here we are going to use a beta-version of ScienceMark 2.0 test package, which measures how fast the tested platforms solve math1ematical modeling tasks.

One of the big advantages of Athlon architecture is a powerful FPU, which is exactly what works the most in applications like that. Therefore, no wonder that even Athlon XP 3200+ is so successful in ScienceMark 2.0. The performance of Athlon 64 FX-51 is even higher. However, the working frequency of Athlon 64 3200+ is lower than that of the Athlon 64 FX-51 or Athlon XP 3200+. That is why our hero didn’t make it this time.

Overclocking

Overclocking Athlon 64 3200+ is definitely a worthy experience. Keeping in mind that this CPU is made of the same dies as Athlon 64 FX-51, which works at a higher clock frequency, we dare suppose that it is quite possible to overclock Athlon 64 3200+ over the nominal frequency. The major question is how high will we be able to raise its frequency then? In fact, we do not expect this processor to work wonders. If it had had a big clock frequency potential, AMD would definitely have taken advantage of it and released faster models as well, especially now that the competition with Intel has become really hard for AMD. However, this hasn’t yet happened. It means that AMD has almost exhausted the potential of the 0.13micron SOI production technology used for Athlon 64 3200+ manufacturing, so Athlon 64 is very unlikely to acquire much higher core clocks unless the 90nm core comes out.

So now let’s pass over to a practical aspect of this test. For overclocking we used ASUS K8V mainboard. It allows increasing processor Vcore and manage the bus frequency accordingly. Unfortunately, the mainboard does not allow changing the CPU clock frequency multiplier, although the multiplier of Athlon 64 3200+ is unlocked. That is why we overclocked the processor by raising the bus frequency. The Vcore was increased by 0.15V above the nominal value.

Our suppositions proved true: Athlon 64 3200+ doesn’t boast an impressive overclocking potential. The maximum core clock, which we managed to achieve without losing stability (with the default cooling solution) made only 2.34GHz: