Maximum PC

Hello! Wow, these forums are still alive?! Like unbelievable! Anyhow, I returned for a moment because I have a bit of business to take care of.

I own a computer that has an Intel D101GGC motherboard. Today, it still does. It's CPU socket is 775 LGA.

The first thing I found out, which still seems to be very common, is that when anyone tries to install a Core 2 Duo CPU, there's simply no result. The Intel website does break down detail as to what CPU's and RAM is supported.

Intel explained that my D101GGC main board supports a handful of Celeron D, Pentium 4, and dual-core Pentium D CPU's. But the socket type still has to be 775 LGA. I don't think it'll bother to post a link about this motherboard despite that everyone else has a motherboard different from mine, but this is an example of how you get simple support.
http://www.Intel.com/p/en_US/support/hi ... ds/d101ggc


Celeron D 351 is a single-core CPU that people believe runs on low power. Default FSB is 133.33 MHz and contains a mandatory 24.0X multiplier, resulting in 3200 MHz frequency. At least two things I clearly noticed was a total jerkiness of most DirectX related graphics, plus it worsens when gaming over a long period of time. Even Flash animations were also jerky. Another thing I noticed is that this CPU is also stressed out when trying to play movies at 60 frames/sec. Another thing I couldn't stand is my fan over the heatsink that always ran loud and high! On a Windows 8, this CPU's Experience Index rating is about 4.1 on a scale of 1.0 to 9.9.


Pentium D 945 is supposed to be part of the Pentium D series presented after Celeron D and before the Core 2 series. It's dual-core, 200.0 MHz of FSB, and uses two different multiplier values between 12.0x (on low power/resting point) and 17.0x (maximum performance), outputting 2400 MHz to 3400 MHz respectively. The Pentium D 945 is one of the highest-ranked CPU's that the D101GGC motherboard is able to run based on the information I researched on the Intel website. I read that the higher models are around 950/960. I bought this 945 processor to replace and upgrade out of the Celeron D 351 I had before. It was able to handle 60fps videos a little bit better and most Flash animations also improved dramatically which I was pleased. It didn't seem to lag as much either, that's another plus. This also allowed my heatsink fan to relax a little bit as long as the CPU kept its multiplier at 12.0x as part of its low-power/resting point, I like that, too. On Windows 8, this pulled about a 5.0 Experience Index rating.

And there you guys have it, my brief input in comparison between an Intel Celeron D 351 and a Pentium D 945 processor. If there is anything else you people have noticed based on performance between these two processors, jot it down here. To keep this thread clean, please, no AMD, Core 2 Duo, or i3/i5/i7 comparisons here as I already know the answers to them all.

NOTICE!
As with all motherboards, it is important to research your motherboard, to understand which components are supported and which can cause potential damage! If you are unsure, contact your motherboard's manufacturer. You are responsible for all purchases and damages while under the influence of any information presented here.

How does the same software run if you used say... Windows XP?

For the most part, I ran numerous stress tests between both. I haven't got up to the XP part yet, but I am sure results can be about the same even if sources say Windows XP was lighter than Windows 8. What concerns me would be the versions of Windows that such software can support.

If you're looking for an opinion, I'd go with the Pentium D any day over a Celeron. They do use a bit more power and run hotter, but the performance is better, just as long as your board can take an 800 MHz FSB processor (the 533 MHz FSB Pentium D's weren't really any good in my opinion). It may be more pricey, though, since socket 775 is pretty much dead, and those that are left, and expensive.

The Celeron (in my world) is really only good for Internet-only users (those who surf the web and do email), or as being used as a small home file server or print server. The Celerons have their place, but in a small market from what I've seen and heard.

It's only higher-priced if you look through the wrong online retailers at the wrong time, especially for a Pentium D. Google's Shopping search engine allowed me to find a refurbished Pentium D, and it was the best ~$30 I ever spent! The Intel site asked for about $180 for a box.

So if price is an issue, try StarMicro.net. I've used them before. I think they had a Pentium D 945 for about $20 last I checked. Beats the heck out of a Celeron, which is probably just as much. Although I have found that if a board replacement is in order, the newer Pentium G-series is worth a look.

As for the windows 8 support, you can try running the test in compatability mode, although this may give skewed results. Unless you do a native XP install, and then a native Win8 install, you can't really get an accurate reading. From what I know, the 800-MHz FSB Pentium D's will usually outperform a celeron any day, since the Celeron's have about half the L2 cache and I think many Celeron D's of that era ran on a 533 MHZ FSB, which can hurt performance. There was only one Pentium D that I know of (the PD 805) that was on an 533 MHz FSB, and it sucked. Most of the others are 800 Mhz FSB, which there will be a noticeable performance difference between the two FSBs.

Good to know that Pentiums are better than Celerons. I got 2 old laptops, been debating which would make a better server.

They were always better. Celeron is Intel's lowest tier desktop processor.

Although most Pentium D's can be around the $20/$30 range, most resellers throw in extra for shipping and handling. Because of this, again, the best ~$30 I ever spent.