Computer CPU Processors

New technologies are always becoming old ones with the passage of time and also the development of improved versions. This holds true for pc components, particularly central processing units or CPUs. Next generation CPUs often follow a downward path from fame. Using the release of a new line of CPUs, the old "next generation" CPUs turn out to be normal CPUs and are ultimately rendered obsolete.

One essential development in CPU technology will be the upgrade from 32-bit processing to 64-bit processing. A 64-bit processor was made feasible with the release of the dual core and multi-core processors. Intel's Pentium D dual core processor and its large brother, the Core two Duo dual core processor, had been released just one year apart that several are unable to tell the distinction between the two.

The Pentium D and Core 2 Duo are really really comparable to one another. Each are dual core 64-bit processors capable of 64-bit processing. Furthermore, both use Intel's LGA 775 pin layout. The truth that two CPUs are both dual core processors does not mean that they are exactly the same, however. So what exactly is the difference between Intel's Pentium D and Core 2 Duo processors?

When it comes to release dates, Pentium D was released earlier -- in 2005 -- than Core two Duo which came a year later in 2006. Pentium D initially came out as a 90nm chip and evolved into a 65nm chip. The Core 2 Duo, however, began out as a 65nm chip and was upgraded into a 45nm chip in 2007. Theoretically, a lower nanometer chip is more effective and runs cooler and faster than a chip using a greater nm.

Although each CPUs use two processing cores which give them the operating power of two combined single-core CPUs, the Pentium D and Core two Duo don't have exactly the same number of chips. Pentium D makes use of two processing cores on two separate dies or chips. The two Pentium D cores as a result have their own cache. This architecture allows Pentium D to run several programs simultaneously with out an adverse impact on processor speed. On the contrary, Core 2 Duo utilizes two processing cores on exactly the same die. As such, if 1 core needed more resources, it no longer had to wait for the other core to activate and manage the extra load like within the case of the Pentium D processor.

The Front Side Bus (FSB) speeds of the Pentium D and Core 2 Duo also differ. Pentium D can have FSB speeds of 800Mhz or 1,066Mhz. Core two Duo processors are quicker. They commence out with an 1,066Mhz FSB speed while the 45nm chips can run at an FSB speed of 1,333Mhz. Higher FSB speeds are a lot more advantageous. They boost the communication among the CPU and computer RAM.

For the average personal computer user, these differences do not count a lot. But for those with greater computing requirements, the Core two Duo processor is a finer CPU to own than the Pentium D.