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Pentium 4 640 3.2Ghz Socket 775 2mb

Associate
Joined
5 Feb 2006
Posts
2
Hi guys

I've been looking at this cpu and it's 3.0G cousin as possible replacements for my 2.8g ht, but heard people complaining that it only has 2mb cache to make up for the fact that it's crap to start with!

please re-assure me that I've just been reading a bunch of amd fanboys, as I really loved my sk478 p4.

For those that care, I use my comp mostly for multimedia apps, recording music etc , not very much gaming at all.

I do play cs:s whenever I can, and looking to future proof myself as much as possible, so I appreciate all advice guys.
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Dec 2005
Posts
16,100
Location
Paisley
its not a bad CPU, comes alive when you clock the nuts off it. For doing what you do though, then its a perfect chip, it really benefits over a single core athlon for what you want to do thanks to hyperthreading, but i dont really know if it would be much of an upgrade.
 
Soldato
Joined
8 Dec 2005
Posts
10,535
Well worth getting IMO as:

1: You would probably get a 15-20% boost in multimedia apps/recording music/videos etc. Games maybe another 10% tops. Web browsing is also a lot quicker + smoother.

2: The 2MB L2 cache comes into its own with those multimedia apps plus the 6 series are the best Prescotts ever as not only do you get the X64 compatibility but it also uses less power due to its TM2 & EIST circuits so that unless full power is required the CPU automatically adjusts the voltage to save electric and reduce the heat generated.

3: All the 6 series CPUs outperform the earlier P4's in real world scenarios @ the equivalent clock speed and they also have an enhanced 31 stage instuction pipeline + improved branch prediction.

They are also superb multitasking CPUs. For example I can still surf the web & rip a DVD (takes 35-40 mins max including burning the disc). The only time you would notice a slowdown is if you were trying to re-encode/re-compress a very complex video file then the CPU might not have enough performance to do this and another task together. 99% of the time you can easily do many things @ once with no performance issues so increased productivity also comes into play.

If you can stretch to this CPU then that would be even better although you would have to have either an 955 or 975 Intel chipset:

Intel Pentium 4 930 Dual Core "LGA775 Presler" 3.0GHz (800FSB) - Retail (CP-112-IN)
The Power of Dual-Core Delivers Exceptional Benefits to Your Platform. Intel dual-core processors have two complete execution cores in one processor package running at the same frequency. Both cores share the same packaging and the same interface with the chipset memory. However, they operate as distinct execution cores. Dual-core processing is one way of delivering performance while balancing power requirements.
- True Dual Core
- Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology.
- Level 1 Cache (Two 16KB Data Caches and Two 12KB Micro-op Execution Trace Caches)
- 4MB L2 Cache (2MB per core)
- Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel® EM64T)2
- Execute Disable Bit3
- Streaming SIMD Extensions 3 (SSE3)
- 65nm Process Technology
- 800MHz front side bus speed
- Only compatible with Intel based 955/975X series mainboards
Price: £204.95 (£240.82 Including VAT at 17.5%)
 
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