A 4.1 GHz Dual Core at $130 - Can it be True?
Inside the Pentium D 805
The Pentium D 805 is based on the first Intel dual core processor, the Pentium D with the Smithfield core. Its predecessors in this family were rated at clock speeds of 2.8 GHz (D 820) to 3.2 GHz (D 840). Both cores in this CPU family come equipped with a 1 MB L2 cache, whereas the most current dual core processors in the 900 series make 2 MB available to each core. For the last year, Intel has brought no new models in the 800 series to market, because the company has switched its fabrication from a 90 nm process to a 65 nm one in the meantime, and has used this smaller building block size only for processors in the 900 series. But then out of nowhere, the old Smithfield core put in another appearance in the form of the Pentium D 805.
The Intel Pentium D 805 costs only $130 but incorporates a dual core - only a few users were in the know about this.
A rear view of the Pentium D 805, built for the LGA 775 socket.
Processor | Number | Clock Speed | L2 Cache | Multiplier | FSB clock |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pentium EE | 965 | Dual 3724 MHz | 2 MB | 14x | 266 MHz QDR |
Pentium EE | 955 | Dual 3466 MHz | 2 MB | 13x | 266 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 950 | Dual 3400 MHz | 2 MB | 17x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 940 | Dual 3200 MHz | 2 MB | 16x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 930 | Dual 3000 MHz | 2 MB | 15x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 920 | Dual 2800 MHz | 2 MB | 14x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium 4 "E" | 661 | Single 3600 MHz | 2 MB | 18x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium 4 "E" | 651 | Single 3400 MHz | 2 MB | 17x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium 4 "E" | 641 | Single 3200 MHz | 2 MB | 16x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium 4 "E" | 631 | Single 3000 MHz | 2 MB | 15x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium EE | 840 | Dual 3200 MHz | 1 MB | 16x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 840 | Dual 3200 MHz | 1 MB | 16x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 830 | Dual 3000 MHz | 1 MB | 15x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 820 | Dual 2800 MHz | 1 MB | 14x | 200 MHz QDR |
Pentium D | 805 | Dual 2666 MHz | 1 MB | 20x | 133 MHz QDR |
By comparison with all the other processors in this series, the D 805's relatively low clock speed of 2.66 GHz doesn't make much of an impression on store shelves. At 133 MHz (533 QDR), its front side bus clock rate is laughable when compared to state-of-the-art CPUs with 200 and 266 MHz speeds.
FSB clock | Bandwidth |
---|---|
266 MHz (1066 QDR) | 8.53 GB/sec |
200 MHz (800 QDR) | 6.40 GB/sec |
133 MHz (533 QDR) | 4.20 GB/sec |
Out of the box and with no additional modifications, the Pentium D 805 is not even half as fast at exchanging data with the Northbridge chipset, when compared to leading-edge CPUs with 266 MHz FSB clocks.
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Tnias I am quite interested in your post regarding the D 805. Considering that it is now available for around $60.00 (03/20/09), it still sounds like a steal. We just upgraded our Adobe CS2 software to the new CS4 Master Suite, which caused the need for a graphics card upgrade. We have an nVidia GeForce GTX 260, but haven't installed it because our computer is a HP Media Center PCm7350n computers each with a 2.8 GHz CPU on a ASUS P5LP-LE mobo. Your article seemed to imply that there is software available that might adjust the clock from inside windows and we are wondering if it can on that mobo or if we will have to get a different mobo. If so, we are wondering what might be our most cost effective but stable options. We are certainly going to need a new power supply for the GTX 260, which requires 525 Watts. We are looking at just putting in PC Power & Cooling’s, Silencer 610 EPS12V power supplyand letting it go at that, but we are also thinking about upgrading the CPU and mobo if necessary.Reply
Of course, we would like to keep the cost down as much as possible.
We have no idea where the best bang for the buck will be. For us a stable system is more important than blazing speed. Thus, the HP's worked fine for what we originally got them for; it’s just that our graphics and video production software are forcing upgrades in speed and power.
The D850 chip sounds incredible and the power supply we already have to get will handle overclocking that chip. It even sounds like that chip will work in the existing mobo if we can find a way to change the clock speed from inside windows instead of from the BIOS. HP BIOS does not allow adjusting the clock speed in the BIOS but can't BIOS just be changed as well; isn't it just an EPROM?
Anyway, even if we opt for changing out the mobo for another case compatible Asus mobo, we still have to answer the question of which board and chip combination will give us the most stable service for the least cost.
Any ideas that might help us plan the most appropriate upgrade and the least cost? -
amnotanoobie TniasAny ideas that might help us plan the most appropriate upgrade and the least cost?Reply
With the price of components that you need to make this run stable, and the amount of electricity that this would use, a cheap Core 2 and motherboard and DDR2 memory would cost you less in the long run.
Example:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200
Kingston DDR2 2x2GB 800MHz
Gigabyte G31M-ES2C
This should cost less than $200.