Processor Dilemma
#1
Looking for opinions if this is even worth it- Currently I am running A P4 3.4GHz Cedar Mill (651 D0) in my HTPC. I have the option (no cost) to replace with a 1.8GHz Dual Core Conroe (E2160). I understand that one cannot really compare 3.4 to 1.8 because of the different architecture of the processor, but would this be worth going through all the trouble of disconnecting everything, reapplying AS5, and spending another damn hour trying to remount the Scythe cooler that obviously did not have user friendly installation in mind...? Cooling is another issue in my case (D-Vine MCE-303), with the help of SpeedFan I am able to keep it around 40*c to 50*c under load with minimal noise. I went with the D0 stepping of the Cedar Mill P4 with the lower TDP in mind. I do not know much about the E2160 and can't find much info pertaining to it. I mean am I actually downgrading if I choose this chip and will it put off a lot more heat? I know there are better processors out there but keep in mind my momboard is a somewhat dated Intel DQ965GF and can't beat the price of free for the Dual Core... More info about my system is 4GB 667Mhz RAM, Windows 7 64 Bit on 32GB SSD, and ATI Raedon 5570 (1GB). Thank you for any suggestions/info.
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#2
The Conroe will smoke the Pentium 4. In fact one of those Conroe cores is almost as fast as the Pentium 4. That is how much Pentium 4's sucked. Other reasons for the switch:

1. WAY less heat and power use.

2. 64 bit on a Pentium 4 sucked. It is compatible, but tests from that day show that often it ran slower than in 32 bit mode. Intel didn't really build a true 64 bit chip till the Core2Duo era, with the Cedar Mill generation it was a bolt on (like Pentium Ds were just 2 Pentium 4's glued together). Since you are using a 64 bit OS, if it was me the Cedar Mill would already be a necklace or something....

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#3
It will certainly not be a step backwards, the e2160 was never a screamer, but it's still positioned well above any pentium 4 or d series. Superior architecture, better thermal management, lower power (certainly at idle/light load), and lower heat output. It's a solid swap if your board supports it.

If you're happy with what you have and don't see any lag on the menus or anything then you may not want to take the tweaking time. With the hd 5570 doing decoding duty I doubt your p4 is really under any heavy load.
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#4
Thanks for your opinions, I think I will swap out the 651 for the E2160. The Intel DQ965GF definitely supports it. Everything does seem snappy using 7/XBMC with the 651 but I've decided why not since all I have to do is invest time to swap it out, plus when I decide to add a Blu-Ray drive in the near future the P4 may start to choke anyways... Thanks again!
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