Question on buying a new PC

[carlg]

I'm thinking about upgrading my machine.

I currently have an Intel Celeron 1.7 GHZ process that I bought a few years ago.

I have a chance to get a good deal on a Pentium Dual Core 1.6 GHZ machine. I know there are better machines on the market but I don't always go for the latest and greatest stuff (I save $$ by buying yesterday's technology)

Well anyway, if I go from a 1.7 GHZ machine to a 1.6 GHZ machine, am I really upgrading my system?
Should I just stick with what I have?

Seems like a really nice machine, but I just want to feel like I am upgrading in processor not downgrading.

What do you think?

Let's keep everything else equal (Hard Drive, RAM, etc.)

Thanks

Carl

[mjc]

Well....

You would be going from a single processor machine to a dual processor machine with larger/faster caches on the CPU, smaller/cooler CPU architecture...

Yeah, it would be an upgrade.

[carlg]

Thanks

So does Pentium Dual Core mean that there is (2) 1.6 GHZ processors?

[PrntRhd]

Yes it does. It also opens up a lot of throughput.
I would suggest going to one of the Core2Duo processors since the architecture is way more efficient. One chip with two cores. The cost is also surprisingly affordable for the slower Core2Duo versions.
Lower cost than that is the Pentium D line.

[mjc]

In essence...yes. But you won't see two processor locations on the motherboard, because both processors are on the same 'chip'.

[saphalline]

Without going into too much detail...

A Pentium Dual Core CPU @ 1.6 GHz will beat a Celeron 1.7 GHz.

And when I say "beat", I mean more like pick up a bulldozer, wield it like a warhammer, pound the Celeron into a pile of squishy biomatter, stomp the remainder into the dust with steel-toed workboots, pick up a one-square mile chunk of ground around the remains, hurl it into outer space (a la the new Superman movie), and then vaporize it with full-power phasers using the new Enterprise 'E'!! :eek:

So yeah, it would be an upgrade. :D