Power consumption
We choose to check this point first by measuring the power consumption of the CPU block with a clamp meter via the ATX12V connector which is exclusively dedicated to the CPU. With our new method we precisely measure the power needed by the CPU power supply bloc, which has an efficiency comprised between 80 to 90%.
We measure the power consumption in four different situations with dual core processors: in advanced stand by, which means with energy saving options activated, in stand by without these options, in use at 50% with one session of Prime95 and then in maximum use with two sessions of Prime95.
First things first, compared to the E6400 we noted a logical reduction of power consumption in use. It is much lower than the A64 3800+, but we have to specify that an Energy Efficient 3800+ would have obtained much better results. Best results were achieved in stand by, and the L2 stepping shows there is potential. The reduction is quite significant and allows Intel to remain competitive to AMD in this domain.
Overclocking
Because of the FSB800, the E4300 needs a higher multiplying coefficient than the E6400 and E6300 to reach 1.80 GHz. It’s nine and similar to the E6600. This characteristic is really interesting in terms of overclocking since it is possible to reach high frequencies without using a high FSB, which are sometimes problematic for chipsets. The 975X, for example, is blocked around 400 MHz. This can also be problematic for memory with a chipset that can't be run out of synch like the P965 Express.
So in order to reach 3.2 GHz, required FSB will be 355 MHz instead of 457 MHz for the E6300. On paper, the E4300 is really excellent for overclocking, but now let's found out if it is really the case in practice. To do so, we have progressively increased the frequency and voltage of the processor with a P5B Deluxe. Each overclocking is validated by 15 minutes of two sessions of Prime95.
The voltage reported is the bios and in practice our P5B Deluxe is affected by a Vdrop of 0.05V approximately with a Core 2 Duo. It means that if we ask for 1.5V, the CPU in fact receives 1.45V in use.
With a starting frequency of 1.8 GHz, we have reached 3.06 GHz without changing the voltage. This represents 70% improvement! Then, we have increased the voltage progressively to reach 3,375 GHz (+87.5%), the increase required to reach 3.42 GHz was a bit more abrupt.
In short, this processor seems to be as comfortable for overclocking as the B2 and B3, even if we will have to wait for more test samples made on CPUs sold in shops to be absolutely certain of this information. Now let's find out if performances are equivalent!
