My P4 2.8 is probably coming up to about 2 years ago in a few months time and I am considering doing a hardware change when that time comes up. I am considering the P4 3.2, if I do get that, would I actually be seeing a drastic improvement in performance or the difference is just marginal ?

Thanks.

i think the 3.2 has 1 MB of cash while the 2.8 has 512 kb which i think gives more power
also thats like a 400 Mhz incress in speed which should get you more power
but i would say if you can go with a dual xeon 2.8 you will get even better performance and a better load
also think that the 3.2 has a faster bus speed
you could wait for a a better P4 like 3.73 or even dual P4
also check this link
http://developer.intel.com/design/intarch/...m4/pentium4.htm
and these reviews of many CPU's
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/cpu/index.php
and these for 3.2
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/cpu/...3261_2226901__3
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/cpu/...3261_2226901__4

Thanks. I am no hurry to move right away, I was thinking of a slow transition. The 3.2 seems like it is within my budget. The Dual Xeon at the moment is higher than my budget for now.

The additional 512mb Cache should do some wonders, I would supposed.

512k* :P but the 3.2 preforms a lot better imo/ime

It's odd to see eddy asking a question rather than answering one :-)

Which 3.2 is it ?

Northwood ( 3.2C, 130 nm process, 512 KB L2 cache, 20 stage CPU integer pipeline)
Prescott (3.2E, 90 nm process, 1 MB L2 cache, 31 stage CPU integer pipeline)

Because of its longer CPU pipeline, the Prescott needed a 1 MB L2 cache and some other improvements to keep up with the Northwood when clocked at the same clock rate.

see these AnandTech articles:
Intel's Pentium 4 E: Prescott Arrives with Luggage
Intel 3.2E vs. 3.2EE vs. 3.2C: Comparing Baseline Performance


-- David

Not sure if it is Prescott or Northwind, the order form https://www.servermatrix.com/solutions/ss32...s32_server.html did not state it sadly. Thus was wondering if anyone actual use this option would probably know something about it.

i have a server that runs a 3.2 its 512

Processor #1 Vendor: GenuineIntel
Processor #1 Name: Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 3.20GHz
Processor #1 speed: 3192.024 MHz
Processor #1 cache size: 512 KB

WIth the P4 2.8, there is no guarantee of getting Hyperthreading. Someone already mentioned the cache difference but IIRC, the 2.8 is probably 533 Mhz memory buss and the 3.2 is probably 800 Mhz memory buss, which could make a big difference. Also, I think the 3.2 SM sells is Hyperthreaded.

-- David

Pentium 4 3.2 Guaranteed Hyperthreading
800 mhz FSB
512 KB Cache

Pentium 4 2.8
533 mhz FSB
512 KB Cache

You should see a significant boost with the Pentium 3.2.

Ouch. This thread is old. In the end, I've got the Total Control Dual Xeon 2.4 instead.

My former P4 2.8 does not come with HT and thus I was wondering if it was worthwhile getting a P4 3.2 at that time. Of course after working out the maths, the TC server seems like a very much better deal.

Thanks for the feedback

I wouldn't say the 3.2 would have been that much faster anyhow. I'd guesstimate it would have been 20% faster.

Well, I have a habit of under-utilizing my systems so as it is, the 3.2 or Dual Xeon 2.4 would probably perform pretty much the same in my case.

Until you get to parallel or multi-tasking. Then your duals will take a significant lead over the single CPU.

Encoding a divx to MPEG video on my 3.0 takes a several hours, whereas my dual 2.4 Xeon's *using same multi-threadded application cuts the time almost in half.

Long database searches or large database handling will be significantly faster on a multi-CPU system if set up properly. Wise choice nonetheless.