[MatthewH]

Hi, I am giving away a computer and would like to know which to keep in the house. I would greatly appreciate your input.

Computer 1:
Dell Dimension 3000
Pentium 4, 2.8ghz
Dell MOBO - No OC Potential At ALL Obviously
1GB DDR 400
CD Burner - No DVD
80GB Hard Drive
Dell Integrated Graphics
Everything other than the ram is basically dell stock

Computer 2:
Cheap MOBO - PC CHIPS A15G - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813185113" target="_blank">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...</a>
-No real overclocking potential, just fsb
Athlon X2 BE-2400 Brisbane 2.3GHz - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103215" target="_blank">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...</a>
-OCed to 2.4 if i remember correctly
Got them for a combo deal a while back for $73 shipped)
1GB DDR2 667
NVIDIA GeForce 6100 (Integrated)
Basic PSU 350w or something, I dont remember
CD Burner, DVD Reader
80GB Hard Drive



I like the fact that Computer #2 is a dual core, however, it does not always seem as fast (computer start up, shut down, when running only one app etc) and it will be used by a child so I do not know if he would benefit from the dual core that much. It would obviously be faster while running a few things at once, but like I said, in the context of what a child is using it for - getting on club penguin, playing basic flash games, would it be better to go with the faster, solid, pentium 4 single core or stick with a dual core? The Dimension is also a black computer (whereas the other has an older white case) and looks newer, which helps in the eyes of a child - just as a sidenote. So basically the main differences are 1) Ram technology and speed, and 2) CPU technology and speed.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Even if someone replies, I'd like to hear several opinions. I greatly appreciate it.

[pvc_]

I'd go with the second one.

[Mosquito555]

Hi mate!

I guess the seond one is slightly better. It uses a dual core CPU (Do not let the Ghz speed fool you, the Athlon 64 is better) and a better graphics chip (slightly though).

The athlon chip you use is more power efficient as well. If you want lower power consumption and less heat production this chip is the best choice.

[MatthewH]

Oh I understand the ghz rules, haha. I realize that lower dual cores are much faster usually. I just am having trouble deciding on the overall use of the computer for a child - would it be better to have a faster single core for his basic internet browsing or would the dual eventually catch up and be worth that extra core? Thanks for your input by the way! I'm leaning in that direction, although I would love to hear more input.
-Matthew

[Mosquito555]

Actually, performance has nothing to do with how many cores you use. What matters is the architecture. I ll try to explain as simple as I can: Even if only one core of your athlon was used it would still be faster compared to your Pentium 4. Thing of it this way: The athlon is designed to execute 2 instructions per clock cycle (2x2.3 Ghz) while the Pentium can only excute 1 (1x2.8Ghz). Do the math. It isn't working exactly like this but you get the big picture.

More cores mean better performance when multitasking or when using programs that can utilize multicore CPUs. Not all programs are designed to do this.

My final suggestion, now that you know how these 2 CPUs compare: If you plan to use the computer as the family machine keep the second. If you want it just for the kid then keep the one that you like more. If you are certain about the hardware demands of the programs that will be used and all of these programs are light then the performance difference may not be noticed.

Since a child will use the computer keep in mind that the second machines will run some older games faster. The first machine may not run some games at all. Of course neither of these machines will run newer games.