Pentium II vs III - which is more reliable? 1

[PaulaGem]

I want to get a cheap used system, 400mhz is more than adequate and I've picked out a few that I like, but I'd like to know which CPU is generally more reliable.

Thanks, Paula

 

[0105Quircus]

Well lets see.....3 is higher than 2...

So 3 is faster and more reliable.

 

[PeterGriff]

I dont think there is much difference in the reliabilty of the CPU. The motherboard and CPU fan would have more impact. Go for well known brands of motherboard like Asus Gigabyte MSI Abit etc.. if you have the choice. And as the previous post says - P3 is an advance in the technology and should be faster than an equivalent P2 (although I have never put it to the test personally)

Peter G

 

[ANFPS26]

PaulaGem, if you are wanting a used system check your local newspaper or local PC shop and see what's available. If you buy a barebones system online (especially from compgeeks.com) you'll have to add an operating system, keyboard, mouse and monitor(most times) and then the price isn't that good. (my opinion).

Jim

 

[mjinks61]

deffinitely go with the p-3. If you have to pay more than 2 or 3 hundred for it though, you would be better off buying one of the new budget pc's. You can get a brand new pc these days for 500 or less, and they will well outperform most of the p3's you would find.
Also, they will be able to handle your needs for a much longer amount of time as program requirements become more demanding.

Good luck, and Happy Computing

 

[cdogg]

With advancing games, software, and operating systems (like WinXP), try to get a system with either a Coppermine PIII or Athlon CPU at 800MHz or faster. That will at least keep you going at a tolerable speed for most applications for the next 2-3 years.

Of course, if all you care about is web browsing and an occasional game of solitare, then any system 166MHz with MMX or faster will do.

But like the others said, there really isn't much difference in reliability between a PII and a PIII - just speed. If both are running at the same speed (as many 450MHz machines are out there), then go with the PIII.


~cdogg
[tab]"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"
[tab][tab]- A. Einstein

 

[mjinks61]

Depending on your budget, I seen this deal adn figured I wuold share it with you. VERY inexpensive with the prtential to last you years.

Budget Dell Desktop, Jul 19
New Budget Desktop

Price drop. Dell Small Business has the Dimension 2400 desktop Celeron-2.2Ghz 128MB DDR Memory/40GB 7200RPM HD, Free 48x CDRW, Ethernet, 6 months ISP, XP Home desktop $399 - $50 rebate = $349, free shipping. $100 off 15 or 17" LCD options. 17" e171fp LCD is only +$340

Select Desktops, Choose Dimension, Featured Systems under 2400, Customize it on cheapest, Free 48x CDRW/Select ISP - Continue, Continue, Add to cart


Good luck, and Happy Computing

 

[PaulaGem]

I'm going to spend under $100 - I already have the other stuff - I get monitors & keyboards at the thrift store for next to nothing and I keep several of the cheap scroll mice on hand for the business.

I have other machines - this one is for a specific purpose and 4-500 mhz is more than adequate.

Thanks for the input guys - I know that even INTEL screws up from time to time and I wanted to see if there were any issues with either one. The pII is $70 and the pIII is $90.

 

[ANFPS26]

I would go with the P III.

Jim

 

[cdogg]

Yes, the PIII's under 500MHz were Katmai versions that were nearly identical to PII's. The main difference was a slight change in its architecture that allowed for better heat dissipation and the addition of SSE instructions. L1 and L2 cache were still the same and both ran on the SLOT interface.

When this PIII was first released, it didn't really have that much of an advantage over the PII because SSE was hardly used. But today, many apps take advantage of those instructions.

To make a long comparison short, the PIII is easily worth the extra $20.


~cdogg
[tab]"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"
[tab][tab]- A. Einstein

 

[PaulaGem]

Thank you cdogg - very informative.