what's the difference between Intel Core Duo and CONROE? which is faster?

[tralalala]

just out of interest.. i have seen on some online stores these 2 processors and was wondering which is better/faster, and which of them would suit a gamer better..


thanks :)

[lynx]

Conroe is the codename for some of the Core 2 series of desktop processors. If designated as Conroe they should have 4MB L2 cache. They were officially released on July 27 and fit the standard LGA775 socket.

If they are correctly labelled the Intel Core (not Core 2) processors refer to the mobile product, codenamed Yonah. The Duo versions were released on various dates this year: January 5, May ??, June 28. They only fit the mobile Socket M.

On the other hand, if they mean the Core 2 Duo, then they could be referring to the Allendale chip which only has 2x1MB L2 cache and will therefore be slower than the Conroe.

You can tell which is which by the model number:
Allendales are models E4300, E6300 and E6400.
Conroes are models E6600 and E6700
Conroe "XE" model is X6800
There are also the quad core Kentsfield (Q6600) and Kentsfield "XE" (QX6700) processors.

[tralalala]

so which would be ideal for gaming etc..? :)

[manofstyle]

Core 2 Duo (Conroe) would be the faster processor. Core Duo is older and slower.

[Formula1]

conroe refers to core 2 duo chips that have the ability to run 64 bit programs unlike core duo. As far as i know, core duos cost way more than core 2 duos and are meant for laptops and dont support 64 bit. core 2 duo is the standard for desktops. BTW the processors with only 2MB cache (e6300, e6400) are still considered conroe. Intel are planning on releasing the Allendale (e4300? ) sooner, which i believe willl perform slower than conroes. So in conclusion the conroe (or core 2 duo) is the ideal processor to get. An e6600 ($320), or an e6300/e6400 ($180-220) overclocked to 3ghz, out performs amd's best processor, fx 62($700)

[tralalala]

cool, thanks :)

[accat13]

Clear as Mud :D

[harrycary]

fyi: dual core chips are no better then single core chips unless the app and/or game is designed to utilize them. if which, not many do at the moment.

[Formula1]

So... what if you're playing a pc game, but you want to burn a cd at the same time , and browse the internet? that't where dual core comes in, it prevents the pc from lagging/slowing down when doing too many stuff too.

[tralalala]

well, if i wanted to by a core 2 duo, would i need to just buy a whole new PC? as in.. new tower, new HD, new graphics card and everything? or is it worth just buying the processor?

[Formula1]

first you'd have to make sure you have motherboard thats supports it. A for graphics card, you'd need to have one that has pci-e express x16. And of course you need to make sure you have DDR2 ram. Maybe you could list your computer specs?

[tralalala]

sorry forthe noobish question.. where would i find the full specs? the properties of My Computer doesn't turn up enough specs.. :lol:

[Formula1]

Download a program like Everest here, http://www.simtel.net/product.download.mirrors.php?id=95756 , or search on google, and give the motherboard's name..

[tralalala]

heres what EVEREST turned up:

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/382/specstv9.th.gif (http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=specstv9.gif)

[Formula1]

yeah you'll need a new socket 775 motherboard that suports core 2 duo, and has pcie x16 slot, ddr2 ram, and a new graphics.. it'll cost you around $700-$800 in upgrades. unless your case is too small for a mobo like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012 , you dont need a new case. And i dont think you'll need a new dvd drive.. oh and yeah you may have to have to change your power supply unit, since you'd have to get a new gfx card..

[tralalala]

any chance of seeing what a whole new PC whould cost? no screen, keyboard, speakers.. etc.

what should a good PC cost.. with a 300 GB hard drive, Core 2 Duo processor.. good graphics card for gaming.. DVD-RW etc.?

thanks :)

[Formula1]

800-1000$, you should post your budget.

[tralalala]

1000$ tops. no more than that.

[Formula1]

Alright then i'd look into the following, i dont know if you're interested in overclocking so... newegg.com site should give you a decent idea of what to buy, they only ship to US.
mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005 or this (if you can go over budget... :P) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003 . the e6600 is more worth it than the ram.

Video card: i'd recommend getting some cheap card, and wait until DX10 cards comeout, like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130052, if you can't wait or you dont care about direct x 10, then you could get this i guess , http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130065

Ram: well this is a bit tricky here. Manufacturers recently increased the price of all ddr2 ram by 50-60$ for some unknown reason...if you have the money, go for this ram, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231065 or this COrsair http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034 . if you want to go cheaper you could try getting this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231051, or this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227078 , if you can overclock. You can get one stick of this and then upgrade later, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231063
The OCZ ram i linked may or may not post (boot up) with the motherboard, so you've been warned.

DVD drive: you can use your old one or you can buy this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

Floppy drive: this is almost useless, you can find one for 7-10$ shipped.

Power supply: i'd recommend getting a high quality 500W psu that costs around 70$, antec make great psus http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103937

Case: just make sure you have an atx case that can support a motherboard that's atleast 12.0" x 9.6" , and can hold atleast 4 harddrives.

Harddrive: be sure to get a Sata 2 (aka sata 3.0 gb) harddrive, seagate and western digital are one of the most trusted brands... avoid MAXTOR! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140

Count up the total cost and decide which you wanna get.. also checkout http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/

[tralalala]

brill, thanks for all the info., will be looking into it soon :D