Strategy

The Celeron Mendocino introduced a 128-KB Level 2 cache embedded directly in the processor core. The earlier cacheless Celeron Covington series could not compete in desktop application performance, even for the entry-level market. The addition of the Level 2 cache boosted the performance of nearly all software running on the Celeron Mendocino.

This performance increase actually bumped the Mendocino into a competitive position against Intel's own flagship desktop processor, the Pentium II Deschutes. While featuring only one-quarter the Level 2 cache of the P2, the Celeron Mendocino, with its full-speed cache architecture, offered nearly equivalent performance. Intel quickly transitioned the Pentium II to a 100-MHz front-side bus speed, leaving the Celeron dependant on the older 66-MHz standard. This generated a marketable performance difference between the two processor families.

The overclocking community quickly took notice of the performance potential of the new Celeron A series. By overclocking the front-side bus to 100 MHz, users could make the inexpensive Celeron A perform within a few percentage points of the costly Pentium II in nearly all benchmark tests. The embedded cache architecture also removed the limitation of external cache memory chips, thus allowing the internal P2-derived core to excel.

The Celeron 300A offers an 80+% success rate when overclocking to 450 MHz with a 100-MHz front-side bus. Many chips will require an increase in core voltage to 2.2 volts to maintain stability, but a small percentage of the best chips can scale beyond 450 MHz without voltage or cooling modifications. As usual, any increase in voltage levels will require the addition of a cooling system, though the retail Intel heatsink should be adequate for overclocking in the 338 to 374 MHz ranges.