P4 3.0 ghz vs _________

[fstroupe]

Regardless of Tom's reliability or lack thereof, there are very few dual-core processors that won't outperform that 4 year old P4 in real-world usage. (I don't care much for benchmarks, they usually don't tell the whole story) Even with games not written for multi-core, there is enough sharing of the workload that a performance gain is realized, IMO.

The single-core vs dual-core argument was pretty much a myth, IMO, except for maybe the earliest models of Pentium D and the smallest X2.

Most of the AMD X2 line is around the price that they still ask for that ancient P4.

Don't get hung up on processor speed...that is an arbitrary number that is comparable only to other processors using the same core, and for overclocking results. Which is probably the reason that Intel doesn't use it to "name" their processors anymore. I.E., the comparison between a 2.2gHz P4 and the 2.2gHz Q6600 is rather like comparing a VW Beetle to a twin turbo Porsche. Or probably a better comparison, comparing the workload of a 1/2 ton pickup to a 5-ton dumptruck.

[Mithosphere]

I recently switched someone over from a 2.8 or 3 ghz P4 to a athlon x2 3600 and I have been told that is run much faster than it did before. So you may want to take a look at what AMD has to offer.

[OcciferFriendly]

Coming from a 3.0 P4, you're going to notice a speed improvement from nearly any new CPU. Even the budget Pentium Dual Cores will be a nice improvement for you.

As someone stated earlier, clockspeed can only be used for comparison within the same architecture. So the right processor for you to feel a speed increase comes down to price/performance. How much proc can you get for your money? I consider this somewhat of an individual distinction, since it's going to be ultimately up to you what works for the dollars you're willing to spend.

For me, in a budget build I'd grab a Pentium Dual Core and a decent mobo, likely a P35 based board and a decent air cooler. Then I'd overclock it to increase the bang for the buck even more. Really don't need an aftermarket cooler for a decent OC, but that's just me talking.

[Stormcrow]

You could get a $40 Celeron based on the Conroe core, overclock it a little (reports of a 100%+ OC using the weenie stock cooler and no voltage bumps, should be easy to get just half that), and blow that P4 out of the water. Same with any Athlon X2, which is based on the K8 architecture and smokes Netburst. My old 1.8GHz K7 Athlon sails past my 2.4Ghz P4, for comparison. If you want to go cheap, the Celeron 420 is a great little processor, for a little more the E2140 is even better. In January, Intel's new Celeron line will actually be dual core based on Conroe for an estimated price of 50 bucks. Can't beat that.

[NoctisReitop]

You guys are going to have to teach me how to overclock ^^. All the prospects of buying a cheap processor and clocking it to something nice are quite appealing. I'd also like to see my q6600 reach 3.0 Ghz