The mysterious AMD Athlon XP “Thorton” processor today got its real face at a web-site. As you might see, being a hybrid, Thorton looks like a Barton, but due to disabled 256KB of L2 cache performs like a Thoroughbred.

The processor on the picture provided by a web-site is marked as AXDC2200DUV3C. It means that this is a 2200+ chip with 256KB of L2 for 266MHz EV-6 FSB in OPGA package with 1.60V Vcore and critical die temperature of 85 degrees Celsius.

At this point I cannot tell you whether the Thortons will be good overclockers or not. As experience of overclocking Intel Celeron chips reveals, CPUs with disabled part of L2 cache can run at very high clock-speeds, though, I do not know if it is effective for AMD Athlon XP chips based on Thorton core or not.

The main idea of Thorton core is to reduce the cost of CPUs while sustaining their profitability at admissible levels, I should add.

If you have never seen a Barton, and want to take a look at the very same chip, but at this time called Thorton, try searching this web-site, for chip, not Billy Thornton, an actor.