Strategy

The improved .25-micron Deschutes core arrived for the Pentium II family at the 266-MHz production point. The Deschutes revision offers significantly improved overclocking potential compared to its older Klamath sibling. At 266 MHz, the Deschutes requires substantially less maximum power demand than its Klamath counterpart. Voltage demand is reduced to 2.0 volts, while wattage draw is up to 50% more efficient than previous P2 models.

The Deschutes revision officially introduced full multiplier locking into the majority of Pentium II processors shipped to retail markets. Lack of user-definable multiplier support is a roadblock to overclocking; however, Deschutes' .03-micron core die-size reduction, along with its improved motherboard chipset technology, can boost overclocking potential. Motherboards offering 100+-MHz front-side bus speed appeared along with this updated Pentium II processor.

Overclocking the Pentium II Deschutes 266 falls in the 350-MHz range for most samples. For those with older motherboards, a front-side bus rate of 83 MHz yields a core operating speed near 333 MHz. Systems featuring 100-MHz-capable motherboards can reach 400 MHz (100-MHz front-side bus × 4.0 multiplier) for a few select 266-MHz models. Core voltage rates must rise to 2.2 volts to reach such levels. Good cooling is a must for overclocking this processor; its maximum core rating is 65° Celsius.