OC intel processors question

[d3strud0]

i'm a noob so forgive my ignorance, i have a pent D 3.2 ghz ( i haven't OCed it )i'm thinking of upgrading but I'm not sure which one of the new intel procecssors are better for overclocking i hear some are locked and some aren't. I'm interested in getting into overclocking in the future so i'd like to have that option open when i have the know how. any suggestions?


secondly im a bit confused about the hype with the newer cpu's. they have a lower speed but higher L2 i am curious as to how this makes it better if its clocked at lower speeds then previous processors? is it that they are more stable? better able to handle multiple applications running at once?

 

[Dan_D]

The only multiplier unlocked CPUs are the Extreme Editions. This is true of all Pentium 4, Pentium D/EE and Core 2 processors. The newer CPUs you are talking about are the Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme processors. They do operate at lower frequencies than their Pentium D predecessors. The Core 2 processors do have more L2 cache than the Pentium D's do but that has very little to do with their performance advantages over the older CPUs. The Core 2 micro-architecture is far more efficient than the Netburst micro-architecture that came before it. The Core 2 processors get more work done per clock cycle to put it simply.

They are faster at encoding, video editing, gaming and everything else despite being clocked at much lower frequencies. As was discussed in another thread touching on this topic, the Core 2 Duo E6300 which runs at 1.86GHz will kick the crap out of the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 even though that Pentium EE 965 runs at 3.73GHz. When you get into the higher end Core 2 Duos and Core 2 Quads there is simply no comparison. Overclocking is another area where the Core 2 Duo/Quad/Extremes shine. The Core 2 chips use less power and generate less heat than the Pentium D's do and Intel has been very conservative with thier stock clocks. As a result, they overclock very well. It is not totally uncommon to see a E6300 with 90% gains in clock speed while overclocked, nor is it uncommon to see E6600 and E6700 CPUs clocked at 3.4GHz and beyond.

Basically the Core 2 Duo beats the Pentium D/EE down like a red-headed stepchild.