SiS 730S Socket-A Chipset: Is the Duron allowed to succeed now?

Here our 730S platform is just 7% slower than the KT133 + TNT2 M64 setup and a full 11% faster than the Celeron 766 system.  An 800MHz (100MHz FSB) Celeron on an i810/815E platform could give this Duron 800/730S combination a run for the money.  This isn’t the same lead the Duron was boasting on the KT133 when we reviewed it last. 

Once again, 10% slower than the KT133 platform and approximately 7% faster than the Celeron 766 setup.  The Duron loses its appeal in the retail market if these are the performance figures that it’s boasting.  While it’s still the perfect option for enthusiasts that will be tossing the chips on KT133 or AMD 760 boards and overclocking them, a 7% performance advantage over a lower clocked Celeron isn’t really doing much for the average consumer. 

For the first time we see the Duron’s dominance restored courtesy of its 200MHz FSB and its large L1 cache.  Even on the 730S platform the Duron holds an impressive 20% lead over the Celeron.  An 800/100 Celeron can definitely cut into that lead but not enough to jeopardize the Duron’s standings.  Unfortunately for AMD, this incredible lead won’t be one to continue throughout the rest of the benchmarks.