Business users look for at least two key criteria when buying a new PC or notebook: cost-effectiveness and performance. According to Ross Matthee, business manager for IBM at , the best balance of performance and value for money for corporate computing clients will be achieved by selecting a Celeron-based machine over the considerably more expensive Pentium III (P-3) equivalent.
"The most significant difference between the P-3 and the Celeron chip is the amount of Level-2 cache included on the chip. Both have 32KB of ultra fast level-1 cache, which is on the chip itself. The P-3 has 256KB of on-die Advanced Transfer cache, which is located very close to the chip, while the Celeron has 128KB of Level-2 cache," explains Matthee. Cache memory stores the most commonly required instructions very close to the processor, allowing it to access these almost immediately and enhance processing performance. Level 1 cache - 32KB is on the processor die, while advanced transfer cache is Matthee adds that while it is true that the P3 contains an additional set of instructions over the Celeron, these enhance demanding multimedia applications - computer games - more than anything else.
"The clock speeds of Celeron processors are already up to 700MHz. While this is a long stretch from the 1.13Ghz of Intel`s flagship P-3, there are very few business applications that require, or will even benefit from, processors running at this speed," he continues. Matthee reveals that a 700MHz Celeron is priced at around R2 000, while the equivalent P-3 comes in at R4 300.
On the subject of the system bus, Matthee concedes that the 100 or 133MHz bus of the P-3 is significantly faster; however he notes that most applications have been designed for the 66Mhz bus of the Celeron.
"The typical business user will be running a word processor, a spreadsheet and an e-mail client simultaneously. Even with many windows open, the Celeron is more than capable of handling this load," says Matthee.
"What business users need to ask themselves is: `Do I need a gaming machine or am I looking for an efficient business computer`. If the answer is the business machine, then you can`t beat a Celeron for speed and value," concludes Matthee.
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