[mythtv-users] Single vs. Dual Core

David George david at thegeorges.us
Tue Oct 30 13:04:16 UTC 2007


On 10/30/2007 08:07 AM, Matt Emmott wrote:
>
>     On 10/30/07, *Tom R.* < sillyhed2000 at hotmail.com
>     <mailto:sillyhed2000 at hotmail.com>> wrote:
>
>         I'm (still.) putting together a mythtv box, and here are my
>         options. I can get an Athlon AM2 X2 Dual Core 4400+ (2300mhz)
>         for $108, or a Celeron 3.2ghz 533FSB MODEL D 351 LGA775 64Bit
>         for $85. The real question is, is dual core worth losing
>         0.7ghz and paying $23 extra? I plan to have two tuners and it
>         needs to be HDTV capable.
>
>         <http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users>
>
>
> In the low end, AMD spanks Intel when comparing dual core CPUs, but as 
> power increases nothing beats the Core 2 Duo at the moment.
Which makes sense if you are using the box for *a lot* of other things.  
But for an HDTV capable mythtv frontend even acting as a backend with 
HDTV tuners and/or PVR tuners (tuners w/encoders) a 2GHz dual core 
athlon is plenty.  Why spend all that money, and convert even more cash 
to heat, if you don't need to.

Besides, is it just me or does installing an LGA775 processor scare 
anyone else to death.  With the amount of pressure it takes to lock down 
Intel's stock cooler, I am surprised I don't hear about many broken 
motherboards out there.  At least the Xeon has a brace on the bottom of 
the motherboard (so does AMD which is one of the reasons I have started 
using them so much again lately).
>
> I believe Pentium D dual core CPUs are right around fifty bucks at 
> either Tiger Direct or Newegg. They're socket LGA775, and if you get a 
> motherboard that supports a Core 2 Duo, it's an easy upgrade* when 
> those CPUs become cheap enough. My latest Myth box is a Pentium 
> D-based system and will probably be a C2D in a year or so.
>
> * - I'm assuming it's just a matter of swapping CPUs with no software 
> changes - If it's more complicated than that, please correct me.
As long as the motherboard supports both Pentium D and Core 2 Duo you 
can just swap out the processor later.  BTW, the cheapest non-OEM dual 
core Pentium D I've seen is about $105.

-- 
David



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