Opinions please

NEW Celeron 1.7 or 1 year old P4 1.3 chip...


Which is the better chip for gaming, light graphics editing and MS office?

Video card is a geforce4 440 64MB DDR
256MB RDRAM on the board
40GB Maxtor 7200rpm HDD
7.5GB Maxtor 5400rpm HDD (swap file drive)

I think you should go for the 1.3Ghz Pentium 4, even though it runs at a slower clock rate than the celeron it does more processes per clock cycle than the celeron an it has a faster L2 cache 512 instead of 265 an its bandwith between the memory is faster. hope that helps

1. P4 and Celerons based on the P4 do the SAME amount of proceses per clock.

2. Celerons have 128KB L2 cache

3. P4 (at least all Willamete and the 1.3MHz is) have 256 L2 cache

Even when P4 has double cache, at that speed it really doesn't make much difference, so the Cely 1.7 is faster. now if you have a P4 1.7 (or at least a 1.6) you'll see real difference.

If price is a factor, get the Celeron.
If overclocking is a factor, the Celeron is better than the Willamete P4, but the Northwoods RULE if there is an option for them !!!

My 2 cents, get 2 P4 Northwood if possible, but of the 2 options you gave, the Cely 1.7 is better.

screw both those options, the P4 1.3 is socket 423 it has no upgradabilty and is a very poor performer.... I'd take a Celeron Tut at 1.3ghz IT WOULD def be faster then the P4 hell i'd argue that if its overclocked it'd whip the P4celron 1.7ghz butt. What i'd get, and this is prob jus as cheap as the celeron p4 1.7ghz is a P4 northwood 1.6ghz and an i845e mobo and overclock that sucker to atleast 2.2ghz since there almost all gaurteed to make it. the 1.8ghz P4 is also a bargin, i have mine runing at 2610mhz, an 800mhz Overclock AIRCOOLED, with no loud delta fan. jus an alpha pal and a 80mm fan thats is not loud yet moves 53cfm.