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The Athlon Thoroughbred is AMD's successor to the Palomino. Featuring a smaller 0.13 micron core, the Thoroughbred is a cooler running processor than the Palomino and it has other physical improvements. It debuted with an XP 2200+ version, though AMD later backtracked, releasing several slower processors in the Thoroughbred core as well.
Like the Palomino, the Thoroughbreds below the XP 2400+ are clock multiplier locked. The L1 bridges must be reconnected to allow multiplier changes. You can freely change the multiplier of XP 2400+ and newer Thoroughbreds using KT400 based motherboards without any processor alteration.
The Thoroughbred is currently available in two model revisions: Revision A and Revision B. The Revision A models (at speeds of XP 1700+ to XP 2200+, or 1.47 GHz to 1.80 GHz) are not all that impressive in their overclocking ability, though the lower speed models such as the XP 1700+ do offer better potential than the higher speed models. The entire speed range of the Revision B models is improved and their overclocking potential is significant. Having learned from the Revision A model, AMD implemented a few physical improvements for the Revision B model, such as additional transistors and an additional metal layer within the processor to optimize its electrical properties and increase its maximum clock speed potential.
If you own (or plan to purchase) an Athlon XP 2400+ or faster, you can be assured that it is a Revision B type since those processors were never manufactured as the Revision A type. Otherwise, if you own or plan to buy anywhere from an Athlon XP 1800+ to an XP 2200+, the only way to tell the difference between a Revision A and Revision B Thoroughbred is by knowing the CPUID of the processor, though some retailers may specifically sell Revision B processors, so be sure to look for a "B" designation.
Revision A processors are known by their CPUID of 680, and Revision B by their CPUID of 681. Revision B Thoroughbreds are definitely better overclockers, with a potential upwards of 2.4 GHz, and lower speed Revision B models are recommended (such as the 1800+ XP, Rev. B), since they have a bigger potential than the higher speed models that are already operating near their maximums.
Note that as of November 2002, the Thoroughbred became available in a 166MHz DDR (333MHz) FSB variety. The new 166MHz variant offers more bandwidth and extra future expandability as processor speeds increase, though you could accomplish the same thing by increasing the FSB of a proc.
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