Looking into a new CPU Suggestions?

[Nastidon]

Alright, here is the deal, I'm gonna' be getting a new processor here pretty soon, and am wondering what to get. Right now I have a P4 3.2 GHZ with HT-Tech, single core of course. I'm looking at getting a Core 2 E8400, since it is the fastest I can get clocked at 3.0 GHZ without having to spend $9000.00. Do you think this would be a decent upgrade? I'm asking this because, I am relating it to processor speed, I was playing Team Fortress 2 on my current setup (desktop), and it runs beautifully with settings on high and all that jazz. My brother brought over a laptop with a Core 2 set at 2.33 ghz, with am ATI (not sure which) video card, and ran significantly choppier (my desktop computer in comparison never slowed down at all) than my single core setup. Which is why I am scared to go dual core, thinking I would have to match up the speed as close I can, hence the 3.0 GHZ E8400.

[Alathald]

The reason that TF2 ran well on your computer probably isn't the CPU but rather the GPU. Laptops, in general, don't have GPUs that are as powerful as a desktop GPU in the same price category. The amount of RAM in each system will make quite a difference as well. As for CPUs, the E8400 would be a great choice as it is a great over clocker and can easily hit 4GHz on air.

[Nastidon]

The reason that TF2 ran well on your computer probably isn't the CPU but rather the GPU. Laptops, in general, don't have GPUs that are as powerful as a desktop GPU in the same price category. The amount of RAM in each system will make quite a difference as well. As for CPUs, the E8400 would be a great choice as it is a great over clocker and can easily hit 4GHz on air.

Nice, I figured that would be the case as I was planning on over clocking a bit anyway. I also just realized what you said, since it was a laptop, it was probably lacking in the GPU department anyway. I'm just worried about performance is all.

[DMB2000uk]

The reason that TF2 ran well on your computer probably isn't the CPU but rather the GPU. Laptops, in general, don't have GPUs that are as powerful as a desktop GPU in the same price category. The amount of RAM in each system will make quite a difference as well. As for CPUs, the E8400 would be a great choice as it is a great over clocker and can easily hit 4GHz on air.

Nice, I figured that would be the case as I was planning on over clocking a bit anyway. I also just realized what you said, since it was a laptop, it was probably lacking in the GPU department anyway. I'm just worried about performance is all.

Comparing P4 GHz to core 2 duo Ghz is a whole different ball game. Intel made some significant changes to how the inner workings of the processor do things (the architecture) and as a result the conroe based core 2 duo's (the E6XXX line) are a hell of a lot faster than pentium 4's. Then the E8XXX line adds more (around 10-15% more on average). As a rough guess you would be looking at an equivalent P4 being 5-6Ghz (and that is not because of the fact that the new CPUs are dual core).

So the E8400 will blow your current P4 3.2Ghz out of the water

Dan

[ibleet]

As always, Dan hit the nail square on the head. The new technology of the dual cores is far superior in every facet to the old single cores.

The E8400 is a superior CPU with tons of overclocking headroom. I am still wishing I would have got that instead of the E6750, but hey, its working out well.