Advantages: They are very powewrful processors
Disadvantages: Too expensive

...I'm not if AMD have done this but Intel definitely have. When they introduced the PIII 450 MHz for the first time, they did not mention to the public that it was only 10% faster than it's little brother the Pentium II 450MHz processor. When the gigahertz processor was introduced, it was tested by a popular computer magazine. I found the results to be surprising. In some areas of performance the Gigahertz processor was SLOWER than the 850 MHz processor. When ever a new processor is introduced it is always overpriced. This overpricing is not little it is ridicously high. A month or two after the release the prices drop massively. Then soon after a new processor is introduced, faster and more powerful. When this show will end who knows. These very powerful processors don't even operate to maximum performance because of the operating... Read review

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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

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Advantages: Established, good value, stable, large L2 cache
Disadvantages: Not the cheapest nor the best performing

...This processor, based on the highly successful Pentium III core is well established in servers - the large (up to 2mb) L2 cache allows good server performance for multiple users. It can be used in dual or quad array, and currently is available in speeds of up to 800mhz. New competitors in the field, including P4 Xeon and AMD MP Athlon 'Palomino' may be ahead in terms of performance, but currently P4 Xeons cost the earth, and P4 is doubted to be much better performers than PIII anyway. The AMDs are currently unreleased to the market, therefore leaving the PIII to take up the slack in small server markets. Its core enhances over the PII Xeon make it a more viable option, and price drops to keep the PIII competitive with AMD and P4 make it economically sensible. The PIII's stability (key feature for a server) plays an important role... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, powerful, fast, easily overclockable
Disadvantages: Not as fast as the Athlon, no manual with my processor

...AMD have been making processors for almost as long as the regarded 'champion', Intel. Although there early 486 processors where popular, the performance lacked and never really compared to the Intel i486. This trend of being slightly 'behind' the forefront of processor technology continued into the early years of the Pentium. However, this all changed when AMD released the K6-2 and K6-3 series of processors as direct competition with the PII and PIII. Although the K6-2 450 was not the fastest AMD processor available when I purchased, it was the best when considering power-per-pound. At only £49, for a fully functioning 450MHz processor with 3D NOW instruction set, this was an excellent buy. My first impressions when seeing the benchmarks between my old system (200MHz) and the new one were pleased, very pleased. The index had... Read review

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Advantages: Widely available, reliable
Disadvantages: High price, relativly low performance

...The pentium 3 is available at speeds ranging from 450MHZ to 1GHZ ( 1000MHZ ) and the cache ( processor memory ) is typically 256Kb. The processor enhancments are the ever popular MMX. The main thing that attracts people to the Pentium 3 is publicity it is given by the people at Intel. Most shop bought computers will contain a pentium processor of some sort. There is no dispute over the power increase over previous pentium models and over those of a lower clock speed. How does the pentium 3 hold its own against its main competitor the AMD processors. The honest answer is not too well. Firstly the cost of a pentium processor is a lot more than its AMD equivalent, the benchmarks of the processor compared with AMD do not wield good results. The AMD equivalents outperform the Pentium 3's every time. There are three types of processor... Read review

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Advantages: Reliablitly
Disadvantages: Price (depending on retailer)

...I have owned two pentium III powered PCs over the last two years. The first was a 450mhz and the other, a 650mhz. I can't say I've had any problem with either. They seem to be fast, reliable and generally pretty good value for money (if you know where to buy from). I've used Athlon powered machines and noticed very little difference, especially on 3D graphics programs (the graphics card and RAM are far more important the the processor speed) I cose the PIII because it was the best supported and most popular chip on the market. The AMD may have its advantages, but with no problems in 2 years, the reliability speaks for itself...... Read review

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Advantages: cheap
Disadvantages: slightly slower

...this is great value for money. The normal intels cost a lot more and are not worth the extra cash. These are reliable, fast and cheap. I've had no problems with crashes....I had a normal intel before and paid way too much for it. I was always frightened of celerons because originally they were the failed chips, but now have been turned into the fastest selling chip and great value for money. They are slightly slower than the real intels but for a bit more you can get a higher MHZ processor that will outperform the equivilent MHz pentium. Go out and buy one, you will not regret it and will have many error free hours playing the latest games or programs with ease.... Read review

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Advantages: reasonable speed
Disadvantages: outclassed by cheaper athlon

...Intel amazes me - years after everyone ridiculed the name "pentium" they are still at it with their latest revision, the PIII. Like all intel chips, it is completely compatible with all existin dos, win, linux etc, so all your old programs will still run. HOWEVER, this is likely to be the last chip that is this completely backwards compatible. THe next chip will have a 64bit layout, and it is likely that 32-bit [ie pentium] will only be emulated - which means slowdown. However, back to the chip. All PIII have either a 100mhz bus or a 133mhz bus. Those which have the ending xxxE [ie 667E] have a 133mhz bus. As the clock multiplier is fixed, putting a 667E [ie 133mhz*5] chip into a system which only has a 100mhz bus will only give you a 500mhz [100mhz*5] system - you have been warned! There is also another ending - B... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, fast
Disadvantages: Not as commercial as PIII and AMD Athlon

...I was stuck for buying my first PC so my visit to PC World introduced me to the world of the Intel Celeron. I'm not very much into the "Commercial" side of computing, these being the AMD's and the Intels I, II's and III's. I wanted something different. The Celerons performance is classed to be very similar to a Pentium II and an AMD K6/2, which in any standard is good. It is highly affordable and is available with clock speeds of up to 433MHz. The performance of the chip itself is quite remarkable as it was origianlly made as an alternative to the other chips available in the market. It is affordable, versatile in all value for money, especially for a first time buyer, or home PC buyer.... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, Fast, Definitely a good buy.
Disadvantages: Runs very hot and needs compatible motherboard and power supply

...AMD have certainly turned themselves around in recent times and now represent a viable option to Intel processors. Traditionally AMD have been strong in the "value"/budget segment of the market. The AMD Athlon is a processor that challenges Intel higher up the food chain. Advantages AMD Athlons are faster than Intel processors when comparing Mhz to Mhz. AMD Athlons are cheaper than Intel processors Mhz for Mhz. Possible pitfalls... AMD processors require motherboards with "Socket A". These are different to motherboards that support Intel processors and tend to be slightly more expensive. It is highly recommended that you use an AMD approved power supply with your AMD processor. If you don't you are liable to suffer from unexplainable crashes. This is because AMD processors run much hotter than Intel processors. It is very easy... Read review

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