AMD Duron 600 socket: Socket 462

What the Duron 600 is

The AMD Duron 600 is a 600 MHz single-core desktop processor from June 2000. It runs one K7 Spitfire core at 600 MHz with no turbo, so 1 core gives 1 thread. Cache is 64 KB of full-speed on-chip L2 with 128 KB of L1 on a 180 nm process with 25 million transistors. Power is rated near 27 W in a Socket A ceramic PGA package with part number D600AUT1B on a 200 MT/s EV6 bus with a 6x multiplier at 1.6 V.

The first Spitfire speed grade opens the Duron line with a quarter of Thunderbird cache at the same 180 nm base, which is why the 600 at 600 MHz trails Athlon 600 parts with 256 KB in office tasks despite matching clocks. AMD launched the Duron 600 on June 19, 2000 with the 650 through 700 parts. The chip supports MMX and Enhanced 3DNow with no SSE.

Entry clocks with a tiny cache and a 27 W envelope suit first Socket A value towers with SDRAM and integrated graphics. The 6x ratio is the lowest Duron multiplier. That is why the 600 shipped as the entry Duron in budget boxes.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 600 fits Socket A entry desktops with Spitfire support. It needs a 462-pin board with a 200 MT/s bus and a BIOS that lists Duron 600. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers pairing rules.

Entry SDRAM towers are the natural match. Boards listing D600AUT1B accept the chip with a 27 W clip cooler.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory is SDRAM through the board chipset, matched to the board sockets. The CPU has no memory controller. Entry KT133 boards commonly run PC100 pairs.

A 200 MT/s EV6 bus ties the CPU to the chipset on a 100 MHz clock, while AGP and PCI hang off the chipset. No PCIe lanes originate on the die. Cooling uses the Socket 462 lug clip with a 27 W cooler.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket, a move to a Duron 850 such as AMD Duron 850 keeps the board for 250 MHz more at 37 W when the support list names Spitfire strings. An Athlon 600 such as AMD Athlon 600 quadruples cache to 256 KB at 38 W for office tasks.

A move to Athlon XP needs 266 MT/s paths. The Socket 462 page lists the Spitfire to Barton range for planning.