(Blast from the past) Northwood 3.06 HT or Prescott 2.80A ?

[fmlConRes]

Hello,

I'm upgrading a POS computer (Socket 478 Intel motherboard with 845 chipset). I'm only changing out the CPU and memory.

Originally the motherboard supported up to a
Northwood P4 3.06 HT, 512K L2 cache, 533 FSB

Then the Prescotts came out and a BIOS update allowed up to a
Prescott P4 2.80A, 1024K L2 cache, 533 FSB

Question is: Which one will perform better? Will the 2.80A's 1MB cache make up for its lack of HT?

I have been searching reviews and comparisons for two days and can't believe I can't find a head-to-head (maybe because the price of the 3.06 HT was way more than the 2.80A at the time?)

Thanks,
Freddie

 

[GhislainG]

Performance should be slightly better for the Northwood if the POS software can take advantage of HT, but you should also take into consideration that it runs much cooler than the Presscott. I may be wrong, but a POS probably doesn't require a very powerful processor.

 

[fmlConRes]

Performance should be slightly better for the Northwood if the POS software can take advantage of HT, but you should also take into consideration that it runs much cooler than the Presscott. I may be wrong, but a POS probably doesn't require a very powerful processor.

Sorry, it's a regular computer; it's just a piece-o-shix. (actually it's fine; it's just old, circa 2004)

Does that change anything?

Thanks

 

[thently]

Northwood is my choice too here is another forum link to back it up.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=1429855

Thent

 

[fmlConRes]

Northwood is my choice too here is another forum link to back it up.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=1429855

Thent

Nice find, thank you.

I think I saw that thread amongst the dozens that roughly apply to my question, but none addressed how much processing advantage a 1MB cache has over a 512KB cache.

Any opinions on that? Obviously it makes a difference on otherwise similar CPUs, but what about between different core classes?

Thanks

 

[das_stig]

Northwood, the extra cache of the Prescott wouldn't give it that much of a boost, plus the Northwood overclocks better.

 

[fmlConRes]

das_stig, Thently, and GhislainG,

Thanks and Happy Holidays

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

First of all you are better off going with the Northwood processor but even if that wasnt the case there maybe a issue that forces you to use the Northwood over the prescott. I seem to remember that there was a hardware revision that was needed to support the Prescott processors and it only came out very late in the life of the 845 chipset. So unless you really want to dig up the MM# of the board and compare it with the supported processor list on the motherbaord manufacturers site just to try to get a processor that may or may not give you any extra performance.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[fmlConRes]

First of all you are better off going with the Northwood processor but even if that wasnt the case there maybe a issue that forces you to use the Northwood over the prescott. I seem to remember that there was a hardware revision that was needed to support the Prescott processors and it only came out very late in the life of the 845 chipset. So unless you really want to dig up the MM# of the board and compare it with the supported processor list on the motherbaord manufacturers site just to try to get a processor that may or may not give you any extra performance.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

Hi, Christian,

Yeah, I went to Intel site and looked it up.
http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d845gvsr/sb/CS-026968.htm
Then got the AA number from the motherboard: C45439-303.

So I guess it's Northwood ftw. (still waiting for a dissenting opinion, though, just on GP)

Thanks all,
Freddie

 

[GhislainG]

Sorry, it's a regular computer; it's just a piece-o-shix. (actually it's fine; it's just old, circa 2004)

Does that change anything?

Thanks

It doesn't.

 

[fmlConRes]

Best answer selected by fmlConRes.