Intel Celeron 466 Review

It looks like Intel hit the nail on the head with the Celeron 466. With a multiplier lock of 7X, it hits the 525Mhz sweet spot when using the 75Mhz bus. The Celeron 466 has become our number 1 choice for the Poor Person's Upgrade.

Looking for the ultimate bang for the buck upgrade? Consider the  following:

• Abit ZM6 or BM6 Socket 370 motherboard

• Celeron 466 overclocked to 525 Mhz

• Voodoo 3 2000 overclocked to 166 Mhz

For just $400 you'll have a 525 Mhz kick ass system that can go toe to toe with anything out there. We're talking Poor Person's Project 527 here! With Intel no longer making the SL2W8 PII-300s, it looks like the only sure way of creating another Project 527 (short of getting a PIII)  is to use the Celeron 466.

By going with a Celeron 466, you are ensuring that you are getting the best possible core from the Celeron production line. While most Celeron 300a will do 450 Mhz, getting to 504 Mhz or 527 Mhz requires some major cooling system and even  then it may not do it. With just a stock heatsink fan, our Celeron 466 was running rock stable at 525 Mhz.

The street price of the Celeron 466 will range from $180 to $210 (or $160 each  if you want to buy 1000 of them :-)). The Celeron 466 is about $40 to $70 more than a retail Celeron 300a that is guaranteed to run at 450Mhz. Is this difference worth it? That's up to you but we think it is. Once you get a taste of 525 Mhz, you'll never want to go back to "only" 450 Mhz again. :-)

Our rating: 8.5/10