DEC Alpha 21164 300 MHz processor

Advantages: Reliable
Disadvantages: Cost? ( see opinion )

...I've had "PC Compatible" computers since 1993, starting with an Intel 25mhz processor before switching to AMD processors - which was mainly down to cost - going up to an AMD K5 200mhz. I switched back to Intel in 1998 with a Celeron 300mhz which I immediately overclocked to 450mhz, and which is still running today at 465mhz without a hitch. I now have an Intel PIII 600mhz which I run at 800mhz for daily use, and which can run at 850mhz without any problems, even when playing processor intensive games. I called this opinion "More for your money" because of the only recently publicised practice of overclocking, which if you consider the cost differential between the processor you buy and the equivelant cost of the one you would need to attain the "overclocked" speed, is quite significant. I therefore think that in my case the overpriced... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: good overclocker
Disadvantages: not as good as duron

...The Celeron has been around for a while now and, due to the fact that it is a cut-down version of the Pentium 3 that runs at a slower bus speed (66MHz for the Celeron compared to 100 MHz for the P3), with a little TLC and a lot of cooling, it can often be made to run at speeds far greater than the advertised values. In this respect, it is not as good as AMD's Duron processor (see my review of that for details), but for owners of BX boards, this can be a cheap upgrade (see your motherboard manufacturer's website for details of whether it will run Celerons), as all that is required is the CPU and a *decent* heatsink & fan, rather than a new processor and motherboard. For example, one of my machines currently has a celeron 600 (this runs a multiplier of 9 at the bus speed of 66MHz) running at 900 MHz (9 * 100MHz). This is a huge... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Extremely cheap - the cheapest CPU available
Disadvantages: Very slow, old, and sluggish

...I have a Cyrix MII-PR300, which means it is roughly equivalent to an Intel 300MHz processor. However, the truth is this is a rubbish processor, especially for games such as Porsche 2000. However, I manage to get fairly good framerates in the demo of Quake 3:Arena, it is very playable in 800X600. However, the processor is pretty slow at running IE5 but quite good at Lotus Smartsuite 97. Overall, this processor is just not worth buying, even though it is very cheap brand new at around £20, you can get an AMD K6-2 500MHz for around £40 which is a far, far better buy, not only in terms of pure speed but also a better CPU in terms of extensions such as 3DNOW!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average off topic