Computer Question

[lynxreign]

I intend to buy a new computer, but I have a processor question.

My current computer is 3-4 years old. It has a 3.39 Ghz processor and a gig of RAM.

The Dell I'm considering has a quad processor at 2.66 Ghz It'll have 4 Gig of RAM.

How do the 2 machines compare in speed? In other ways?

Comments

In other ways?

[chaoticmoth.livejournal.com]

Just go with whichever one is prettier.

[editswlonghair.livejournal.com]

How many cores does the original computer's processor have? If it's only one, the new computer will probably smoke the old one hands down.

Granted, this is based on my experience with MacOS and not Windows, but I'd imagine the way the OSes divvy up resources under the hood is much the same.

[lynxreign.livejournal.com]

I think 1

[cityofbeige.livejournal.com]

The CPU usage history on the task manager would be split into multiple windows if you have more than one core.

[lynxreign.livejournal.com]

Then it is 1

[cityofbeige.livejournal.com]

When I have a large process running, it seems to max out one core, and does a little over half on the 2nd core. This is on XP, so I'm not sure if Vista is different.

Having 4 Gb of RAM over 1 Gb will actually make a big difference on strenuous processes, especially intensive graphics (ie: gaming).

[monjundi.livejournal.com]

well, the new computer is new and therefore (obviously) better.

On a more analytical note, think of it this way. If you had 10,000 pounds of potatoes to peel which would get it done faster, 1 low paid Mexican worker peeling at 3.39 pounds/hour or 2 oppressed Chinese workers peeling at 2.66 pounds/hour?

[lynxreign.livejournal.com]

That all depends on if the kitchen is set up in a way that'll allow 2 people to get at the potatoes, the place the peeled potatoes will go and if there is more than 1 knife.
And since it is a quad, it'd be 4, no?

[monjundi.livejournal.com]

sorry, my over sight. So two Chinese workers and their wives.

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

A ghz today is doing more work than a ghz from three or four years ago anyway, not even getting into the advantages of multiple cores.

[lynxreign.livejournal.com]

It is? How?

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

I just assume that in the span of 3 or 4 years, the engineers at Intel, AMD, etc are making improvements to the design of the processors that go beyond their clock speed. For a while AMD tried to de-link mhz from performance with a separate rating number, because the P4 was designed to go to very high clock speeds and the Athlon really wasn't, and people were buying based on the clock speed instead of the benchmark performance.