1.6 Pentium M vs 1.6 C2D

How would the performance of a Pentium M 725 (1.60 GHz/400MHz FSB) processor differ from the Core™ 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB) with similar specs everywhere else?

I bought a Pentium M laptop two years ago, and am wondering how much more of an improvement the C2D processor would show, and for what tasks would it be more efficient?

 

A single core of the 1.6ghz Core 2 Duo is about as fast as a Pentium M 2.0ghz. You will see an improvemnt. Ofcourse the Core 2 Duo will be much much faster if it can use both cores. Multitasking and such tasks.

 

My brother's 1.83GHz Core Duo was literally TWICE as powerful as my old 2.0GHz Pentium M.

 

Night and day! Even if your programs are not coded for dual core if you run more than one at the same time, much better. Also there is always overhead from Windows and apps in the background and dual handles this well. C2D and even current AMD Turion clock for clock kick PM big time!

 

on a single thread the core 2 duo is probably "much" faster than the pentium m.

operating on multiple threads it will easily double the performance, possibly 2.5x or so.

 

I know its off topic, but since people are talking about Pentium Ms here.....
I was wondering should I upgrade from my PM 725 (1.6Ghz) to a PM 755 (2.0GHz)? Because I am not going to be able to buy a new laptop within the next 6 months. Would it be worth while? How much performance increase would I get?

 

Not worth while no, unless you can get the CPU for cheap. Save the money and spend it on a better laptop in 6 month or get the new laptop a bit earlier.
Alternative: Overclock the CPU with the FSB bridge (if you have the right Pentium M)

 

What do you reckon would be a good price for a 755? Also can you give me a link to FSB bridge? I ve tried OCing before but never found the right program....apparently its because of the motherboard.

 

This is the overclock guide:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=81312&highlight=overclock+pentium+m

It is a hardware overclock, not software.

 

Na... i don't have the right motherboard.
Do you think $140 is expensive for a 755? I definately won't be buying a new notebook anytime soon... so i don't have many options.

 

Are you sure that the CPU is your bottleneck right now? Unless you can get a 755/765 for very cheap I wouldn't upgrade.

Getting a faster hard drive would do a lot for your overall performance.

 

Around what price would you consider a 755 as cheap?
My HDD is probably a problem as well....4200rpm , other than that im pretty sure my cpu is the main problem! RAM is ok, MR 9700 is ok also

 

It's not worth it. Just keep the 1.6PM. I've used a 1.6PM and a 2.0PM it's nothing you'll notice. Games you're limited by the 9600. Unless you're encoding video all day on your laptop you're not gonna notice it.

It's a testament to the PM's design Clock speed doesn't matter. The 1.6-1.8 was pretty much the PM's target clock for the designers and it's sweet spot for price performance ratio at the time.

 

Ok! thanks for the advise! but would u recomend getting a 7200 rpm HDD?

 

If you want mildly faster boot/load times, then yes. There is heat and battery life to consider, but that is usually dependant more on a specific hd model rather than the general catagory itself.

 

My battery is pretty dead anyway after almost 3 yrs!

Should I upgrade my notebook at all if i am to use it for another yr? (at most)

 

If your laptop is that decrepit then just keep using it till it finally dies. Why throw money down a hole?

The first step to saving money is not to lose money. So throwing money at a old slow laptop isn't going to help you get a new one faster.

 

that is quite expensive for an old cpu