Help understanding duo core processors

Currently have a Vaio K23 w/P4 2.8 Ghz processor. Run lots of business app's and would like a faster machine. Also, only have .5 GB RAM. Am now specing a new machine, likely another Vaio, had many and I like them, and need to know about the duo core processors.

Most of the machines I can afford have 2.2 - 2.5 Ghz processors, although they are all duo core technology and have 2-4 GB RAM. Will I loose anything by going from a 2.8 Ghz machine to a lower Mhz duo core machine?? I know the added RAM will help but I also want to be sure I get enough processor speed for my app's.

All feedback appreciated.

Thanks!

 

I have continually been baffled by what are called "Core Duo" and "Core 2 Duo". I would be interested in an expert opinion as well.

 

core 2 duo=current intel dual core cpu line.
core duo=obselete intel dual core cpu line.

c2ds are quite fast clock for clock, it would be more powerful than your single core, technology advances are fast.

edit: pentium dual core cpus are cut down c2ds, they are still very fast.

 

"Core" and "Core 2" are newer architectures from intel. "Duo" simply means it is a dual-core CPU. Sometimes you'll hear "Core 2 Quad" thrown around, that just means it's a quad-core CPU.

One other thing you should watch out for is "Centrino" and "Centrino 2." These are NOT processors, but rather a combination of a bunch of intel components (CPU, motherboard, and wireless) that supposedly provide better battery life. Don't get too concerned with it.

Clock for clock the Core 2's are much more efficient than the old P4's. In today's market the clockspeed doesn't matter nearly as much as it did before. For example, my Core 2 Duo @ 2.26 GHz performs much more than twice as fast as my old desktop's Pentium 4 @ 2.53 GHz.

As for RAM, it is very cheap nowadays, and 2GB is plenty to get you going for multitasking and movies and all that jazz. 4GB is really just for extra performance, and in switching from a 2GB to 4GB machine, I didn't notice too much of an improvement in everyday tasks.

So to lay down what you probably want:
-A Core 2 Duo processor
-2+ GB of RAM

 

I can tell you that a 2.5GHz Core2Duo is much faster than a 2.8GHz P4 because I upgraded to the former from the latter. The Core2Duos are faster clock-for-clock even in applications that only use a single core; with the ones that use 2 cores, there's just no contest.

 

Even a 1.5GHz core 2 duo is gonna be faster than a P4.
Heck, even a celeron dual core is gonna be faster than a P4. P4s are pre-historic.

EDIT: You can compare CPUs here http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

 

Let us know which processors you are looking at, we can tell you which one is better. On the NAPA platform the Core2duo's were about 30% faster per MHz clock than the core duo's

K-TRON

 

The 2 in C2D just means its a newer 64bit capable CPU.

 

and the core duo's were like 50% faster clock for clock of the P4

a 2.2Ghz dual core with one core disabled... would be likely double the P4.

Edit: just looked at some benchies...
T2500 Core Duo at 2.0Ghz is more than double the speed a 2.8Ghz P4....
a Core 2 Duo T8100 @ 2.1Ghz (last gen tec) is more than triple.
a Core 2 Duo T9600 @2.8Ghz (current gen) is 4.5x faster
a Intel Atom 330 @ 1.66Ghz is 1.5x faster.

 

wow even a atom cpu is faster.

 

yah, that really suprised me too.
the N270 (single core Atom) @1.6 was about 75% of the speed of a 2.8P4... so the Asus 9xx EEEpc with an atom processor is equal to say a ~2.4Ghz P4.

 

wow, and the atom uses like 5 watts max, and the P4 used around 75 watts

When I upgraded from the T5300 I made a thread about the performance between the core 2 duo and the core duo processors:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=313598

K-TRON

 

I swapped from a 3.2GHz P4 to a 1.8GHz core2 derivative Celery (no choice) and even that seeming downgrade was actually faster than the 3.2GHz P4 in desktop work.

I was also shocked that the Atom CPU beat the P4 chip.. That little Atom is a good CPU for low power work.

 

"Pentium 4" series have much lower performance compared to the newer architectures. If you want some specific values, I can give you SuperPI 1M test results from my old desktop and laptops:


Pentium 4 2.4GHz (533 MHz FSB, 0.5M L2): ~75 seconds
Pentium M 770 (2.13 Ghz, 533 MHz FSB, 2MB L2): ~36 seconds
Core2Duo T9400 (2.53GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB L2): ~18 seconds


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