Core Duo 1.66 vs. 1.83

Hello there.
I am about to pull the trigger on a Dell e1705 notebook. I will be doing some pretty hardcore gaming (mostly bf2) on the machine yet I don't have a lot of cash to spend. Someone recommended that I go for the 7900 gs graphics card over the 7800 so that's already an increase of $150 over my original price. Now I am beginning to wonder if it is worth $100 to go for the 1.83ghz core duo over the 1.6. Will the faster processor help noticeably with gaming? Or will the upgraded graphics card overshadow any potential processor upgrade? I will be using 1GB ram if that's of any assistance.
Thanks!

 

If you're on a budget, stick to the 1.66GHz Duo. The Go7900GS is a much better upgrade for the money vs. the processor upgrade; it will give you a far larger performance boost in games.

All the Core Duo processors are exceptionally powerful; I doubt you would notice a difference between the 1.66 and the 1.83.

 

i suggest that you get the 7900gs instead of the core duo 1.86 if your gonna game.. because gamming depends mostly on the graphics card than on the processor.

 

Ok, yea it's not really a one or the other decision, more of a "should I bite the bullet and get the more expensive processor just because I can" decision.

But one more thing. The minimum processor requirement for BF2 is supposedly a 1.7ghz processor. Because the processor is a dual core does this mean that I should be safe with the 1.6?

Which would be a better upgrade, the 1.83ghz processor, or upgrading to 2GB ram down the road? Obviously the RAM can be replaced at any time and I am stuck with the processor that I choose. But I just don't want to upgrade to the 1.8 processor if the difference is not noticable at all. The fact that some have said BF2 needs 2GB RAM to work optimally has me leaning in that direction.

 

Do you now about the Dell Coupons? if you can spend $1250, upgrade to just over $2000, than punch in the $750 code. It's the best deal you can get.

 

That minimum processor requirement is probable a standard pentium 4 chip. Athlon, Moble processors, and Pentium 3 and under processors use a smaller scale. For example: A Athlon 3000+ is similar to a Pentium 4 3 GHz processor, but it is clocked at 1.8 GHz.

 

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking at. Problem is, I want to make sure I get a nice warranty as well so I have to budget for that. Does anyone know if the $750 off of a $1999 notebook is a common coupon? Or is this a really special deal that I should jump on?

 

We have a link at the top of the page on the menu bar for Dell Coupons, click to see what the current ones are. They change every week.

 

For the most part the coupons appear pretty regularly. I wouldn't sweat not being able to find one. I have been looking for months and there has always been a coupon available. Now I am sure right after I post this you won't be able to find one for months. (Just always seems to happen when there is a sure thing) Too many assumptions makes an #@% out of U and Me. (or however that saying goes)

 

The $750 off $1,999 is very common. Don't let Dell trick you into buying something because it's only for a limited time.

I personally think upgrading from the 1.66 to 1.83 dual core CPU is a waste of money. The performance benefits are marginal and only noticable when the CPU is operating at full capacity. However, the value of money is different for everyone, and if losing $100 means absolutely nothing to you, then do whatever you feel like doing.

 

Alright everyone, you've been very helpful. I've got one more question that doesn't really pertain to gaming, but instead of starting a new thread I will just ask here.

I am currently using wireless internet with my desktop, which I am pretty sure is the B kind. (whatever kind is the cheapest) I am told that G is backwards compatible, not sure what exactly is meant by that. Does that mean I can use a G card with a B router, or that a G router can work with a B card? Basically what I am asking, is if the standard DELL G wireless card will work with my router even though B is not mentioned, or will I need to upgrade to the INTEL PRO WIRELESS 3945 card which is sometimes called an a/b/g card and other times an a/g card?
Thanks a bunch!

 

Processor:
P4 @3000MHZ x 23 = 69000
Core Duo @ 1660MHZ x 23 x 2 = 76360.

so a core duo running at 1.66 ghz is actually faster than a P4 running at 3.0 GHz......

 

To answer your question: the Dell G card should work fine with your B router, but at B speeds (up to 11 Mbps), which are perfectly OK for Internet browsing.

You can use both a G card with a B router and a B card with a G router. Any (802.11)G router/card knows the (802.11)B protocol, too, since both operate at 2.4 GHz, and G has evolved out of B. The (802.11)A protocol is not known by all routers/cards, since it uses the 5.8 GHz spectrum.

When people say that the 3945 is an A/G card, they assume that you know that any G can also work as a B.

It's not recommended to mix B and G cards in a network, even if the router is B/G, because it degrades the speed of the G cards. But it works.

(I used caps so it will be easier to read.)