Single core Hyper-Threading VS. Dual Core

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behtp

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Oct 2, 2010
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Hi,
I'm willing to buy an extra Desktop computer for work; and I don't know what to choose.
I found Intel Pentium 4 3.4 Ghz Hyper-Threaded and a Dual core (2 Ghz I think).

What do you think? Is it worth choosing 3.4 Ghz Hyper threaded over Dual core 2ghz ?
Purpose of the computer will be Programming, running mobile emulators, using photoshop and Dreamweaver.
Any suggestions and advices are appreciated.

Thank you.
 
what is the dual core? Amd? Intel? what chip? My bet is that the dual core would be better since most dual cores that came out around the same time as the first chip were better. The dual core will be a lot better for multitasking. But we really need to know what the dual core is.
 
behtp said:
Its Intel, I'm not sure about the chip.
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If it as atom I bet the p4 would be faster but if it isn't an atom then the dual core should be faster (can't guarantee that though because we still don't know what chip, but it still should be faster).
 
Do you not have any other options to choose from? The dual-core should be faster, but neither are 'good' anymore.
 
Most cost-effective way would be to build it yourself; however, most companies would offer much better systems at a much more competitive perf/$ and perf/watt than the two systems in your OP, unless you can get them each for $30-40 total (it would, of course, be much more helpful for you to give a model for the dual-core CPU, but I'm assuming it's something low quite low-end). The main problem with using those systems IMO would be memory, memory bandwidth, and CPU power. Neither of them are any good by today's standards.
 
Mr. Pedantic said:
Most cost-effective way would be to build it yourself; however, most companies would offer much better systems at a much more competitive perf/$ and perf/watt than the two systems in your OP, unless you can get them each for $30-40 total (it would, of course, be much more helpful for you to give a model for the dual-core CPU, but I'm assuming it's something low quite low-end). The main problem with using those systems IMO would be memory, memory bandwidth, and CPU power. Neither of them are any good by today's standards.
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Both of them are Dell, the dual core 2.6ghz cost ~$300 and pentium 4 3.4ghz HT cost $180.
 
Don't tell me you're looking at some refurbished units. Most of those I see on circuitcity.com or tigerdirect.com are really not deals in any respect
 
MrkXCeL said:
Don't tell me you're looking at some refurbished units. Most of those I see on circuitcity.com or tigerdirect.com are really not deals in any respect
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I'm from Morocco, shipping to here will be expensive. I look at local shops.
 
Unless your budget is limited to a few hundred dollars, you would do much better finding a build with more modern hardware.
 
Ok, thanks. Is $300 fine to build a decent computer; I'm not looking for a gaming one, Just a computer for work that I could use for multi-tasking and opening using multiple big applications at the same time (Phone Emulators, Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver..)
What do you suggest?
Thanks.
 
behtp said:
Ok, thanks. Is $300 fine to build a decent computer; I'm not looking for a gaming one, Just a computer for work that I could use for multi-tasking and opening using multiple big applications at the same time (Phone Emulators, Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver..)
What do you suggest?
Thanks.
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Go with a true dual core. The P4 is one of the sorriest cpus ever released. Also if you can score an AMD Phenom II dual core you'll save money over those ancient intel chips and get better performance.

It would help if you had the exact name/model number of the processor of that $300 dual core that you are considering.

Also you will need at least 2GB of ram, the more the better because some applications can be very memory intensive.
What version of windows will you be running?
 
vjcsmoke said:
Go with a true dual core. The P4 is one of the sorriest cpus ever released. Also if you can score an AMD Phenom II dual core you'll save money over those ancient intel chips and get better performance.

It would help if you had the exact name/model number of the processor of that $300 dual core that you are considering.

Also you will need at least 2GB of ram, the more the better because some applications can be very memory intensive.
What version of windows will you be running?
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Thanks for your suggestion, Sorry $300 (actually its $370) is the price of the whole computer (without the screen ofcourse). (1 GB RAM; 228 MB Graphic card, Dual core 2.6ghz)
So, what are the specs (Motherboard, Processor, Graphic card (nvidea preferred)) I could get with $300 (I could raise my budget a little bit though)? i'm considering a Dual core (maybe the AMD you mentioned) or a 3 core processor.
I'll use Windows 7 and Linux Ubuntu.
Thanks again :)
 
vjcsmoke said:
Go with a true dual core. The P4 is one of the sorriest cpus ever released. Also if you can score an AMD Phenom II dual core you'll save money over those ancient intel chips and get better performance.

It would help if you had the exact name/model number of the processor of that $300 dual core that you are considering.

Also you will need at least 2GB of ram, the more the better because some applications can be very memory intensive.
What version of windows will you be running?
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Don't paint all P4s with that brush due to the issues of a few (quite a few).

While Prescott (the last of the S478 P4s) had heat-transfer issues, and Williamette (the last of the non-S478 true P4s prior to Northwood) was regarded as gimped, the Northwood series (all of which are S478, and two groups of which feature HT from end to end) are class acts.

Given that you are referring to the 2.6 GHz model, that would be either the Northwood-C or Northwood-E. Both did indeed see duty in Dell's Dimension line (the Dimension 2600, to be precise) and would be considered entry-level HT. Outfitted with 2 GB or more of DDR400 (in Dimension trim), they aer still solid 32-bit machines for Linux or Windows (even Vista or 7, provided you go with 2 GB of RAM or more). Despite that, a true dual-core (not just Core2Duo, but even Celeron DualCore, if you can buy/build one locally) would be a safer choice because it will have a greater useful life than any P4.
 
behtp said:
Thanks for your suggestion, Sorry $300 (actually its $370) is the price of the whole computer (without the screen ofcourse). (1 GB RAM; 228 MB Graphic card, Dual core 2.6ghz)
So, what are the specs (Motherboard, Processor, Graphic card (nvidea preferred)) I could get with $300 (I could raise my budget a little bit though)? i'm considering a Dual core (maybe the AMD you mentioned) or a 3 core processor.
I'll use Windows 7 and Linux Ubuntu.
Thanks again :)
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Go to some local electronic shops, see whats available in the price range. Up to $400 you will find pretty decent computers, just go for Intel Core 2 or Intel Pentium or Intel Celeron and AMD Athlon or AMD Phenom processors. Different models have very different performance, so if its not too much trouble, write down some local computers you find and tell us the specs. If you can't, then buy one that is NOT Pentium 4, as newer CPUs are much much faster. Also try for at least 2GB of RAM, up to 4GB.

If you don't mind having a bigger computer, I recommend you go with a full size desktop. At the store, you may see tiny PCs that are the size of a small book, and they take up a lot less space. But they use laptop hardware, and will not be anywhere near as fast as a full-size desktop.

UPDATE: I am not familiar with the computer parts available in Morocco, and because of that the processors I told you about may not be available. I highly recommend you write down some specs and prices for us next time you go looking for a PC, as long as your in no rush. For the processor and graphics, give the model name, like Core Duo E6600 or AMD Athlon II 240, and the graphic card name too, like Nvidia 8800GTX. That will give all of us an idea of how expensive PCs are there. If any Moroccan shops you have looked at have web sites, please provide them. It could be very possible that spending ~$300 and shipping a ready built or hand built computer from an American or European company will get you much more performance. Since you plan on using Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and programming, the extra performance would really make using the computer smoother in more intensive programs.
 
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bore_u2_death said:
Go to some local electronic shops, see whats available in the price range. Up to $400 you will find pretty decent computers, just go for Intel Core 2 or Intel Pentium or Intel Celeron and AMD Athlon or AMD Phenom processors. Different models have very different performance, so if its not too much trouble, write down some local computers you find and tell us the specs. If you can't, then buy one that is NOT Pentium 4, as newer CPUs are much much faster. Also try for at least 2GB of RAM, up to 4GB.

If you don't mind having a bigger computer, I recommend you go with a full size desktop. At the store, you may see tiny PCs that are the size of a small book, and they take up a lot less space. But they use laptop hardware, and will not be anywhere near as fast as a full-size desktop.

UPDATE: I am not familiar with the computer parts available in Morocco, and because of that the processors I told you about may not be available. I highly recommend you write down some specs and prices for us next time you go looking for a PC, as long as your in no rush. For the processor and graphics, give the model name, like Core Duo E6600 or AMD Athlon II 240, and the graphic card name too, like Nvidia 8800GTX. That will give all of us an idea of how expensive PCs are there. If any Moroccan shops you have looked at have web sites, please provide them. It could be very possible that spending ~$300 and shipping a ready built or hand built computer from an American or European company will get you much more performance. Since you plan on using Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and programming, the extra performance would really make using the computer smoother in more intensive programs.
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Yes i'm willing to use 3GB of RAM or more, Thank you that was helpful. I'll check some local shops in my city and see whats available.
I might consider buying some parts from eBay but i'm afraid that I may have to pay some duties for them when they arrive so i'm not sure about that...
 
Make a thread about buying a prebuilt computer in the Computers & Gadgets section. Give the specs of the different computers available, and their prices. People in that area know more about buying a pre-built computer, and will help you choose one. I will watch out for your thread too.
 
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