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Processor Confusion

M

MISMCSA

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Sep 6, 2001
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I've been looking to purchase a new computer. The last one I bought was a Dell 600m laptop. It was top of the line with a Pentium M back in the day.

After doing some searching, I realize there is a heck of a lot more processor options now. I've read a few articles, and checked out the wiki pages on Intel processor time lines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_microprocessors

That's been great and all, but I haven't really found soemthing that told me which processors are more powerful, and what they're good for. What's better a Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Pentium Dual Core, Core i7?

I was looking at a computer which has one of these "Intel Pentium E5300 - 2.60 GHz (2MB L2,800 MHz FSB)". How does that fit into the mix? Is this a middle of the road power wise?

Thanks for your help in understanding what's out there.
 
core i7 is the latest and greatest. runs on a different socket than the rest of those listed. triple channel ddr3 ram. only one chipset available for it, x58. it will cost the most. next down is core 2 quad, 4 cores, now at 45nm and e0 stepping, runs cool and efficiently. prices are good now. next down is core 2 duo, 2 cores, 45nm and e0 stepping. decent, cheap. dont consider anything less than those. the e5300 is a low end pentium dual core. if you spec a budget, and what you plan on using pc for, it will be easier.
 
Thanks for the info. I'm planning on buying a prebuilt system. This system will be used for some pretty basic operations. Web, Email, Office work, photo/video management (limited editing), media center functions, and other typical operations. It will not be used as a gaming machine.

The prebuilt systems I was looking at were Asus. They had a couple models recently released, and best buy was selling them this week. As for budget, we'll say $650, with no monitor.
 
MISMCSA said:
That's been great and all, but I haven't really found soemthing that told me which processors are more powerful, and what they're good for. What's better a Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Pentium Dual Core, Core i7?
Click to expand...

From least to most powerful:
Atom
Celeron
Pentium Dual Core
Core 2 Duo/Quad
Core I7

The Pentiums are good lower power/cost chips derived from the Core/Core 2 series. Based on your planned use a Pentium or lower speed Core 2 Duo based machine is probably what you want to get.
 
If you go the non prebuilt route you can get a Phenom II 955 system which is A LOT better than the e5300.
 
MISMCSA said:
That's been great and all, but I haven't really found soemthing that told me which processors are more powerful, and what they're good for. What's better a Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Pentium Dual Core, Core i7?

I was looking at a computer which has one of these "Intel Pentium E5300 - 2.60 GHz (2MB L2,800 MHz FSB)". How does that fit into the mix? Is this a middle of the road power wise?
Click to expand...

Whether something is designated as a "Core 2 Duo" or a "Pentium Dual-Core" has much more to do with marketing than anything else.

Consider the slightly older Core2Duo e4500 2.2ghz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800Mhz FSB
Compared to the Pentium Dual-Core e5300 2.6Ghz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800Mhz FSB

Obviously the Pentium Dual-Core e5300 is the better chip compared to the Core2Duo e4500.

The best thing to do is compare the actual specifications of the chips. Number of cores, Clockspeed, amount of cache. FSB, etc.
 
The E5300 is fine for what you will use the computer for. Just make sure you get a minimum of 3 gigs of RAM. If you buy a system with 64-bit Vista (which you should if you have to get a system with Vista) make sure it has a least 4GB of RAM.
 
I'm pretty sure I'm going to pull the trigger on this. Seems like it's a good fit for my needs, and the price is reasonable

Asus Essentio
Intel® Pentium® processor E5300; 6GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 640GB hard drive; wireless LAN; Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9366571&type=product&id=1218092152238


* I additionally liked that it had opportunity for some expansion with ram, PCI, and PCIe-16. I could always look to upgrade from the onboard video option.
 
Looks like a good deal. I priced out a similar system on Newegg and got the same price.
 
Jospeh said:
...what?
Click to expand...

You can build a similar system for about the same price, what's so confusing about that? If he doesn't want to build it himself its a decent deal.

It's pretty hard to beat the big OEM's on prices for these low-to-mid range systems.
 
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