how fast is Core Duo and Core 2 Duo compared to P4

[lordsmurf]

I'm looking into laptops. Core Duo or Core 2 Duo both seem fine to me, but I want to make sure it's going to truly be faster than my Intel P4 2.8Ghz desktop. Where are some charts that show the speeds of Core Duo / 2 Duo CPUs compared to slightly older single-core CPUs? I bet they exist, but I've not seen them.

Thanks.

[jagabo]

Start here:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2808

[ChrissyBoy]

I was also looking into this. My conclusion was that, for laptops, the bus bottleneck currently meant that Core Duo or Core 2 Duo were much of the same, speed wise. (jagabo 2nd link). Yet in either case the newer breed of CPU will beat yours (and mine) 2.8 P4 desktop... Indeed i have seen it with my own eyes with colleague’s shiny new laptops!

[lordsmurf]

The tomshardware chart is worthless, almost nothing on there but a few super-fancy desktop CPUs. I saw that earlier.

[jagabo]

The tomshardware chart is worthless, almost nothing on there but a few super-fancy desktop CPUs. I saw that earlier.

Desktop C2D and mobile C2D perform about the same on CPU intensive tasks like video encoding. On non-CPU intensive tasks the choice of CPU is, by definition, less critical than other compoenents.

[ahhaa]

http://www.notebookreview.com/price/default.asp?brandName=Alienware&brandID=24

[deadrats]

I'm looking into laptops. Core Duo or Core 2 Duo both seem fine to me, but I want to make sure it's going to truly be faster than my Intel P4 2.8Ghz desktop. Where are some charts that show the speeds of Core Duo / 2 Duo CPUs compared to slightly older single-core CPUs? I bet they exist, but I've not seen them.

Thanks.

talking from experience, i have tested, using the same motherboard, ram and hdd, the following cpu's, under numerous conditions:

P4 630
Pentium D 820
Pentium D 945
Core 2 Duo E6400

the 630 and 820 are, for all practical purposes, tied in most benchmarks, though the 630 is actually faster when paired with main concept's software (not too mention the 820 thermal throttles like a mad man).

the 945 smokes both the 630 and 820, and effectively ties the E6400 in benchmarks that don't properly implement SSE optimizations.

in applications that implement SSE properly, like main concept's h264 encoder, the E6400 is about twice as fast as the 945.

having said this, i wouldn't spend the dough on a laptop at this point in time until i could get one with the following:

a quad core cpu, even if it were clocked slower than the lowest clocked dual core

a HD DVD and/or Blu-ray DVD-rom, preferable burner.

lately i have been doing alot with high definition ts/h264/hd-wmv and quite frankly i can't wait until i can get my hands on an affordable quad core cpu and an HD DVD or Blu-ray rom/+r/+rw.

[Cobra]

I've got a Core 2 Duo desktop. If you'd like to set up a series of tests, I'll run them on my machine and you can compare them to the performance of your P4 machine to see what kind of a difference there is between them.

[piano632]

Not Core Duo, but Aldi stores have there twice-a-year deal on Medion computers today.

They have a AMD Turion MK-36 64-bit 2.0GHz with 80GB hard drive, 512MB RAM, DL burner, NVIDIA GeForce Go 6100 graphics, "comprehensive software package", "Vista capable". All for $599.

Hurry, these tend to sell out fast at Aldi. Medion usually uses good-quality parts like Pioneer burners, Seagate drives, etc.

[lordsmurf]

I'm looking for 100-160GB, 512MB-1GB RAM, DVD burner (DL required, LightScribe would be nice), Core Duo or Core 2 Duo, matte screen 15.4" or larger, USB2, wireless G integrated.

Prefer to spend under $1000, willing to go $1500 (but not as big a fan).

Apple is nice, but $2500 for those specs is so retarded. I wanted a Mac with Bootcamp, but Apple prices it ridiculous.

[INFRATOM]

The difference I've seen is if the cache is more, the advantage is on the ones that have 4 megs onboard cache, are faster otherwise would almost be the same. Now if these new CPU's have new instruction set that might benefit down the line and new programs may run faster. Also new system can use newer faster RAM so one needs to check what is inside, most computers on sale out there don't have any advantage they're just using the name core duo to push the sale.

[cyflyer]

Those charts on the link are confusing, I didn't realise there were sooooo many variations of the processors. As a simple comparison, a P4 3.0 ghz and a Core duo2 2.13 ghz, which is faster on a one to one task ? The newer CPU's are given lower clock speeds than the older P4, 2.13 vs 3.0 ? Confused.

[budz]

I'm looking for 100-160GB, 512MB-1GB RAM, DVD burner (DL required, LightScribe would be nice), Core Duo or Core 2 Duo, matte screen 15.4" or larger, USB2, wireless G integrated.

Prefer to spend under $1000, willing to go $1500 (but not as big a fan).

Apple is nice, but $2500 for those specs is so retarded. I wanted a Mac with Bootcamp, but Apple prices it ridiculous.

I know whatcha mean about Apple. Those prices are too expensive for my pocketbook. I'd have to sell all my Windows PC's to buy one Apple. If you got a Fry's electronics in your area wait for the Black Friday sale, they should have some nice cpu/mobo combo's.

[jagabo]

Those charts on the link are confusing, I didn't realise there were sooooo many variations of the processors. As a simple comparison, a P4 3.0 ghz and a Core duo2 2.13 ghz, which is faster on a one to one task ?

What task? It varies by application. You have to look for benchmarks of the applications you use -- and for which you care about speed. With video encoding you usually end up waiting for the computer, so it matters how fast the CPU is. With word processing, it doesn't much matter how fast the computer is, just about any CPU is fast enough to keep up.

The newer CPU's are given lower clock speeds than the older P4, 2.13 vs 3.0 ? Confused.

The C2D has two cores (essentially two CPUs) in one package. And each of those cores runs most things faster than a P4 at the same clock speed. Very roughly a single 2 GHz C2D core is about as fast as a 3 GHz P4. But again, it varies depending on the application.

It's going to get much more complex in the future. There will be processors with many cores, some general processing cores like we have now, some for specialized tasks.

[edDV]

Those charts on the link are confusing, I didn't realise there were sooooo many variations of the processors. As a simple comparison, a P4 3.0 ghz and a Core duo2 2.13 ghz, which is faster on a one to one task ? The newer CPU's are given lower clock speeds than the older P4, 2.13 vs 3.0 ? Confused.

Wikipedia has some good introductory descriptions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_2

Gone are the days of gaining CPU power by clock speed only. That generated too much heat and power consumption. The trend is to massively parallel strategies.

[DereX888]

I'm looking into laptops. Core Duo or Core 2 Duo both seem fine to me, but I want to make sure it's going to truly be faster than my Intel P4 2.8Ghz desktop. Where are some charts that show the speeds of Core Duo / 2 Duo CPUs compared to slightly older single-core CPUs? I bet they exist, but I've not seen them.

Thanks.

I remember you always preferred Main Concept Encoder - thus theres only 1 choice for you:
Core 2 Duo E6xxx
Encoding with E6600 is about 2.5x faster than similar machine with P4HT 3.0 GHz.

[kitty]

I'm looking for 100-160GB, 512MB-1GB RAM, DVD burner (DL required, LightScribe would be nice), Core Duo or Core 2 Duo, matte screen 15.4" or larger, USB2, wireless G integrated.

Prefer to spend under $1000, willing to go $1500 (but not as big a fan).

Apple is nice, but $2500 for those specs is so retarded. I wanted a Mac with Bootcamp, but Apple prices it ridiculous.

My coworker sent this from one of those deal-hunting sites. I don't work for Dell BTW and I don't push this or any other deal, it just met LordSmurf's description at well under $1000. Kitty

Inspiron E1505: Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 15.4", 2GB, 80GB, DVDRW, X1400 for $880
Coupon code GL0HJJPMNS0M9Z gives 30% off $1299 Inspiron E1505 from Dell EPP department. Add upgrades to a Inspiron E1505 to get its pre-discount price (the crossed-out price in black) just above $1299, then apply the coupon. Also an automatic 4% discount combines with this promotion.
 
An example configuration: 

Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor (2GHz, 4MB Cache, 667MHz bus) 
Windows XP Media Center Edition 
Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium from XP Media Center Edition 
15.4" Ultrasharp Wide Screen WXGA+ Display with Truelife 
2GB Dual-Channel Memory (2x1GB) 
80GB 5400rpm hard drive 
8x CD/DVD Burner 
256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics 
1 year at-home warranty 
no security subscription 
6-cell battery 
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Wireless 
No Bluetooth 

That configuration prices to $1309 before all discounts, then applying the 30% coupon and automatic 4% discount brings it $880.
 
Another example configuration: 

Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor (1.66GHz, 2MB Cache, 667MHz bus) 
Windows XP Media Center Edition 
Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium from XP Media Center Edition 
15.4" Ultrasharp XGA+ Display with Truelife 
2GB Dual-Channel Memory (2x1GB) 
80GB hard drive 
8x CD/DVD Burner 
standard Intel Graphics 
2 year at-home warranty 
no security subscription 
9-cell battery 
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Wireless 
no Bluetooth 

Price comes to $1303 before discounts, and $875 after 30% code and automatic 4% off.
 
Also you can get an additional 4% off when paying with a Dell Preferred Account, but be sure to pay off the account quickly to avoid finance charges.
 
Remember, the 30% plus 4% discounts apply to all upgrades, so a each $50 upgrade actually costs around $34.
 http://www.hotdealsclub.com/spacer.gif
Be sure to choose the free upgrade to Windows Vista Premium. When Vista is released, you can pay a $10 shipping fee to upgrade, which is a great deal considering normally upgrading to Vista Premium would cost over $150.
 
Update (11:30am ET): The automatic 4% discount increases to 6% if your computer's configuration is over $1600 after 30% coupon (about $2300 before all discounts). You have to configure a lot of options to get the price that high, such as Microsoft Office software, accidental damage protection, Verizon EVDO Wireless Card, Bluetooth devices, port replicator, or other options. If you are able to get the price just above $2300 before discounts, the 30% coupon code and automatic 6% discount bring the final price to about $1560, and you can get an additional 4% off using DPA.
 
Also, note that the 4% Dell Preferred Account discount is applied during checkout, and may not appear on the shopping cart page.

[Delta2]

I did notice a big jump using CCE with a pentium D, or Conroe

[MJA]

Just keep watching techbargains.com

Dell Home 30% off Notebooks Coupon Code - Loaded 17in E1705 $909,

Oct. 31

Dell Home has discount codes for loaded PCs. No tax in some areas.

30% off Select Inspiron Notebooks $1299+ (Excludes XPS)
Code: 9D42R7W2D0?F0B Exp 11/3 5:59am CT or after 7000 uses

Includes the following E-Value code only: 6VAFF- ib130s1, 6VAFF- ib130s2, 6VAFF- e1505s1, 6VAFF- e1505s2, 6VAFF- e1705s1, 6VAFF- e1705s2, 6VAFF- e1405s1, 6VAFF- e1405s2, 6VAFF- e1405rfc1, 6VAFF- e1505rfc1, 6VAFF- e1705rfc1, 6VAFF- b130rfc1. This offer is not available on any other system, and can not be combinable with other dollars off, percentage off or mail-in rebate offers.

Loaded Inspiron E1505 15in Core Duo Centrino Notebook $909 shipped free

6.18lb Inspiron E1505 Desktop Replacement Centrino Notebook Intel Core Duo T2300E 1.66Ghz, 15.4in WideScreen, 1GB/80GB, CDRW/DVD, 802.11g wireless, 1yr warranty, XP Media Center for $799 plus $500 in options = $1299 - 30% off code = $909 shipped free.

Core 2 Duo +$50

Loaded Inspiron E1705 17in Core Duo Centrino Notebook $909 shipped free

7.94lb Inspiron E1705 Desktop Replacement Centrino Notebook Intel Core Duo T2250 1.73Ghz, 17in WideScreen, 1GB/80GB, CDRW/DVD, 802.11g wireless, 1yr warranty for $1029 plus $270 in upgrades = $1299 - 30% off coupon = $909.30. Free shipping.

Good options: Core 2 Duo T5600 +$100

[cyflyer]

Thanks for the link edDV, that seems a pretty starightforward and clean exlpanation.

It's going to get much more complex in the future. There will be processors with many cores, some general processing cores like we have now, some for specialized tasks.

Anyone care to speculate where its going ? How much faster can they get ?

[Bondiablo]

Have you checked Circuit City recently? Seems like you can get pretty decent deals there and Best Buy when they are offering rebates.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite-15-4-rdquo-Widescreen-Notebook-PC-A10...oductDetail.do

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite-17-rdquo-Widescreen-Notebook-PC-P105-...oductDetail.do

[lordsmurf]

Thanks, kitty. I will likely go with a Dell, since they appear to be one of the only manufacturers with specs I want.

[Bondiablo]

though they're not really "manufacturers". dell just puts in the cpu, ram and drives. there are actually very few companies that manufacture notebooks. most places just stick their name on them. which is why they're all pretty much the same.

[jagabo]

It's going to get much more complex in the future. There will be processors with many cores, some general processing cores like we have now, some for specialized tasks.

Anyone care to speculate where its going ? How much faster can they get ?

Here's a start:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/26/the_story_of_amds_fusion/

[lordsmurf]

though they're not really "manufacturers". dell just puts in the cpu, ram and drives. there are actually very few companies that manufacture notebooks. most places just stick their name on them. which is why they're all pretty much the same.

Having lived near Round Rock in the past, and knowing plenty of Dell employees, I have to 100% disagree. I guess it depends on how you want to describe "manufacturer" (as they obviously don't create the CPU, RAM, hard drives, etc). They definitely have some of their own products and parts, it's not something you or I could walk into a store and get ourselves. It's definitely more involved than "sticking their name" on products.

[MJA]

though they're not really "manufacturers". dell just puts in the cpu, ram and drives. there are actually very few companies that manufacture notebooks. most places just stick their name on them. which is why they're all pretty much the same.

thats true

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20060731PR208.html

Dell will launch a wide-range of AMD notebooks in the fourth quarter, targeting all market segments from low end to high end and offering models that use AMD Sempron and Athlon 64 processors, as well as Turion 64 x2 CPUs, according to sources at Taiwan-based notebook makers.

The first AMD-based models, which will likely be launched in late October or early November, will be 15.4-inch notebooks manufactured by Quanta Computer for the consumer notebook market, the sources said. Then, Dell will introduce 17-inch AMD-based models at the end of the year, the sources added.

The anticipated launch of AMD-based notebooks means that the cooperation between Dell and AMD will cover all the segments in the PC market. In May, Dell already introduced its AMD-based servers, and the company is expected to launch AMD-based desktop PCs in September, the sources indicated.

The sources also remarked that competition between Dell and Hewlett-Packard, which is the biggest client for AMD notebook CPUs, in the US market is expected to be fiercer ever after Dell's launch of AMD-based notebooks. However, Dell will remain Intel's biggest client despite its adoption of AMD notebook CPUs, the sources added.

Dell's and HP's notebook market shares

http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/cto_inspn_1501?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

[MJA]

delete

[handyguy]

p4 is a desktop chip, you don't want it in your laptop, they get too hot.