THE PENTIUM 4 3.8GHz PROCESSOR should be nothing more than 200MHz speed bump for the Pentium 4, a minor waystation on the road to the 4GHz milestone, but things haven't turned out as Intel had planned. With the cancellation of the 4GHz Pentium 4, this processor represents a sort of high-water mark for the Pentium 4's speed-demon approach to performance. This may be the highest clock speed we see on any Pentium 4 processor for months, and it finally gives Intel a direct competitor to the faster grades of the Athlon 64, the 3800+ and 4000+. The P4 570J also threatens to show up the P4 Extreme Edition 3.46GHz, Intel's new uber-flagship part whose performance was a bit of a disappointment, even with a new 1066MHz bus.

Beyond that, the new Pentium 4 570J processor does offer a little more than just another 200MHz, as that J lurking at the end of its model number suggests. This new revision of the Prescott core offers lower power consumption, buffer overflow protection, and a nice bit of overclocking potential. Read on to see how it performs at 4GHz and beyond.