Is swapping out a Pentium-D for a Core2 Duo worthwhile?

Hi group, a while ago I asked the great minds at CPF for advice on a PC video card upgrade for gaming use. My PC currently has a Pentium-D CPU; would it be worth the $130 or so to change this to a Core2 Duo assuming they run at the same bus and internal clock speeds? My PC currently has a 2.80 GHz Pentium-D CPU with an 800 MHz front-side bus.

I don't really know the functional differences between the CPUs but I heard on the radio that the Pentium-D is an inferior processor.

My only point is to improve gaming performance for Half-Life and other first-person shooters.

Thanks!

the pentium d to me is a awefull cpu the core 2 dou rocks im preety sure there both socket 775 and long as ya mobo suports the buss speed and has corect bios ya should be fine post what mobo you have.

The performance will increase ten fold with a Core2Duo. As raggie33 said the Pentium D is an terrible processor.

Even with the 1.8Ghz Core2Duo you'll notice a difference.

I've got my Core2Duo E4300 1.8GHz overclocked to 2.67Ghz with the stock cooler. http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc?id=196230

However if you're not planning to overclock get the highest speed you can afford.

It all depends on what you do with your computer, the pentium D is fine for web surfing, doing few papers and watching movies. I have no plan on upgrading until i really have to.

I'm quite sure that the Core 2 Duo is more efficient than the Pentium D. In a sense, you could save energy costs and gain performance. If it is socket 775 and your mobo support it, why not? If you really need the performance, I'd say yes.

The fastest one you can get for your board is the E4500 (2.2GHz 2M Cache). That is about $150 depending on where you look.

I bought a small toshiba (12" screen) laptop for travel. I didn't pay any attention to the processor when I bought it because it wont be used for demanding tasks. It has a core2 duo in it. I was blown away by it. It will run anything I have including high end games without a hickup. The only thing I don't like about the laptop is Vista. I just can't get used to the changes for no reason in the OS. Well maybe some day I will like it as much as XP, who knows.

gorn said:

I bought a small toshiba (12" screen) laptop for travel. I didn't pay any attention to the processor when I bought it because it wont be used for demanding tasks. It has a core2 duo in it. I was blown away by it. It will run anything I have including high end games without a hickup. The only thing I don't like about the laptop is Vista. I just can't get used to the changes for no reason in the OS. Well maybe some day I will like it as much as XP, who knows.

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If Vista SP1 does change for the good, then maybe it has a chance, but at the same time, there's supposed to be XP SP3.

I really prefer XP, but its hard to find drivers for newer notebooks. I've had some of my friends asking me to change their OS, but without XP drivers, it is not possible.

My motherboard doesn't support Core2 Duo. So, this little project has gone from "upgrade the graphics card" to "you're now going to rebuild the entire system from scratch."

Thanks guys. ;-)

I would say VERY VERY WORTHY to that.

In some applications Core 2 Duo is times faster than Pentium D, while make much less heat. If there is no need for changing other parts, just swap it.

if working with a socket 775 motherboard don't over look this gem:

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=XEON3210BX&c=pw

it's a quad core xeon with 8mb of cache

nice little drop in ;-)

I have a 2.4 GHz C2D 6600 with stock cooler an it turns with only 1100rpm --> no more noisy

zelda

scott.cr said:

My motherboard doesn't support Core2 Duo. So, this little project has gone from "upgrade the graphics card" to "you're now going to rebuild the entire system from scratch."

Thanks guys. ;-)

Click to expand...

Is that because its not a socket 775? There mite, be a BIOS update that will allow you to use the Core2Duo.

Core2 Duo :twothumbs

Radio said:

Core2 Duo :twothumbs

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+1

I was a die (no pun intended) hard AMD fan but now I just go with whoever makes the best processor for my needs, that used to be AMD but now it's Intel.

AMD have gone down hill over the years and all the processors they have released lately are still inferior to Intel's latest processors.

I don't agree that AMD is going downhill. It's still the best buy for the buck.

When Intel was ahead, they got greedy and arrogant with the release of P4 and tried to monopolize the market with RAMBUS.
Fortunately it failed.
As AMD's K7 Athlon architecture overtook P3 and P4s in performance and price, Intel's answer was a failure, as they tried to recover from RAMBUS. AMD had the momentum and the K8 caught Intel with its pants down. The P4 and HyperThread architecture was a dead end. Their Pentium M offering was superior. A 1.4 GHz P-M was the equal of a 2.2 GHz P4.
Glad someone there had the sense to continue development and resulted in the Core2 architecture.
It is superior to AMD's K8 X2, but you must pay the price for Core2. Nearly 4x.
Cost is a factor in the real world. An X2 Brisbane core can be had for under 50.00 and overclocked to 2.8 GHz yielding a very nice system for everyday use.
If you want bleeding edge, be prepared to pay for it and can justify it.
Intel made the leap ahead when they were the underdog, now it's AMD's turn.
They screwed up when they acquired ATi, but I'm sure they'll stay in the race , and look forward to their next offering. Afterall, their demise has been discussed since the 486 days. If it wasn't for them and their competition with Intel, we wouldn't be enjoying such innovations and pricing.

amds new cpu will be out monday

C2D should be enough for most FPS games...

although you still need a decent(not expensive) graphic card.

on the new AMD quad-cores, to be announced this Monday, September 10, here is some info. on possible pricing:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20070813093618.html

I hope that AMD Quadcore opteron will drop right into my AM2 mobo with at most a bios update


please :candle:

myk said:

I hope that AMD Quadcore opteron will drop right into my AM2 mobo with at most a bios update


please :candle:

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I think the new AMD quad-cores, codenamed "barcelona" are designed to be backward compatible so that they can indeed slot into existing architecture.

I don't know specifically about your mobo, but in general the answer should be yes. There will also be "consumer" versions of the quad-cores eventually as well.

I am waiting to see what comes out, I have an older and malfunctioning computer floating about that I'm thinking of upgrading. In my case, though, I'd need a new mobo as well.

good luck!