Processor Query!

P8400(2.27ghz,3mb L2,1066mhz FSB)
P8600(2.40ghz,3mb L2,1066mhz FSB)

Does the difference in clock speed make any significant difference even when working on CPU intensive tasks? What for is the P8600 produced when P8400 should actually suffice?
Is this a marketing move?

 

In CPU intensive tasks (I mean those that takes up 100% CPU usage, i.e: video encoding, 3D rendering in professional 3D modeling tools, number crunching for scientific calculations etc..) the difference will be proportional to CPU speed (since every other detail is exactly the same). That being 2.27 : 2.40, for example a task that will take an hour on P8400 will take 56minuts 45 seconds in a P8600 (according to the speed ratio).

But remember, in general computing even the most CPU intensive tasks are bound by number of other restrictions (i.e : Memory latencies, IO latencies, etc..) therefore the difference is even less in real life. I'd say a T8400 will perform almost identical to a T8600.

 

Thanks for clearing up my doubt.So for Home users(Use their PC for browsing the net,moderate gaming,movies...basic use etc.) this is actually a marketing move then?

 

For home users it won't make a difference. So yes, you can consider it just a marketing move.

 

I think (though I'm not entirely sure) that the CPU makers produce bunches of chips aiming at a particular clock speed and then put them through a testing process. The ones that pass are rated at that speed, but the ones that fail (because they overheat or require too much voltage or whatever) aren't necessarily bad at all multipliers, just at the higher ones. Thus, they're relabeled according to the highest multiplier at which they pass the tests and sold off with minor differences in price.

Thus, I don't think this is a marketing move in the sense that Intel deliberately makes processors half a multiplier apart, they just come out that way and it tries to make the most of it.

 

You would only see a difference in Synthetic Benchmarks and CPU intensive tasks, but none when browsing the web or listening to music.

Simple as that.

 

Here's a benchmark 27-P8600 ~ 34-P8400 not really must of a difference.