CPU speeds question.

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nightrider.36

I'm trying to figure out which computer I should buy based on my needs
but I need to see some sort of table or guide that gives me CPU speed
differences. For example, I have a laptop with a Pentium 4 CPU. I
tested it against a Core2 Duo chip and the C2D chip rendered high-res
3D images about 5 seconds faster than the P4. For all its hype, I
expected much better results. But then again, I'm not sure that I'm
testing it correctly. I'm not sure what to look for. I really don't
know much about CPUs save for what Intel advertises.

Can someone help me with this?

Thanks

-ac
 
nightrider.36 said:
I'm trying to figure out which computer I should buy based on my
needs but I need to see some sort of table or guide that gives me
CPU speed differences. For example, I have a laptop with a
Pentium 4 CPU. I tested it against a Core2 Duo chip and the C2D
chip rendered high-res 3D images about 5 seconds faster than the
P4. For all its hype, I expected much better results. But then
again, I'm not sure that I'm testing it correctly. I'm not sure
what to look for. I really don't know much about CPUs save for
what Intel advertises.

Can someone help me with this?
Click to expand...

5 seconds out of what? If one took 10 secs and the other 5, you
will notice the difference. If one took 25 secs and the other 20,
you won't.
 
While the core 2 duo is a good processor, about 50% faster than a Pentium 4 at the same clock speed, you won't make full use of its power unless you run applications that can use both processors at the same time.
 
nightrider.36 said:
I'm trying to figure out which computer I should buy based on my needs
but I need to see some sort of table or guide that gives me CPU speed
differences. For example, I have a laptop with a Pentium 4 CPU. I
tested it against a Core2 Duo chip and the C2D chip rendered high-res
3D images about 5 seconds faster than the P4. For all its hype, I
expected much better results. But then again, I'm not sure that I'm
testing it correctly. I'm not sure what to look for. I really don't
know much about CPUs save for what Intel advertises.

Can someone help me with this?

Thanks

-ac
Click to expand...

Did the benchmarking program use both cores of the Core 2 Duo ?
Some benchmark programs will be single threaded, and you won't
get the doubling you might expect. Then, all you get to see
is the 1.5x or so improvement in instructions per clock.

Try using the Task Monitor and have the CPU graphs on the
screen at the same time you run the benchmarks. That will
give you some idea whether both cores are busy or not.

Some benchmarks I've seen, include the effects of the
hard drive, and that tends to smother the processor
improvement. But that also reflects how the real world
works - the hard drive in the new computer is likely no
better than the one in the old computer.

In looking at benchmarks, I've also noticed that some benchmarks
work better with C2D than others. Some applications are cache
sensitive and others are not. If at all possible, it is best to
test with the latest version, of whatever program you use the
most.

Paul
 
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