NWN2: Computer Requirements Q

[LadyCrimson]

P4 is bad? I thought it was more like average.

That was always my thought, as well. Not great, not bad, just average/adequate. In terms of games anyway. Unless he meant bad in relation to NWN2?

[angshuman]

It's all relative.

 

All of the processors I mentioned were the top-of-the-line processors at some point in time in their own market segment. The P4/PD were "bad" because they needed to be clocked the bejesus out of in order to even approach the performance of their direct competitor (Athlon64 for P4, and Athlon64 X2 for PD). They did well in certain media encoding apps, but performed lower in most general purpose apps and were simply destroyed by the A64's in games. All this was while consuming more power and generating a lot more heat.

 

The Pentium M was the best mobile processor around, but AMD's Turion wasn't too bad either. What Meta was referring to was the fact that the M's were actually so good that if you could install on a "proper" desktop platform (mobo, memory etc.), they could actually outperform a P4 in most apps, and even hold their own against Athlon64s.

 

The Core 2 that we all know and love is actually a heavily beefed-up derivative of the Pentium M. Given its ancestrage and the additional muscle Intel has given it, it's no surprise that it demolished everything at launch.

[metadigital]

And I think you can still buy about four new top of the line Core 2 Duo CPUs for the same price as a Pentium M. :S

[Dark_Raven]

You guys and your computer lingo. What's a Core 2 or Dual Core, Core Duo or whatever you call it? I keep seeing those names being used and I am in the dark about them. I have a p4 that has not failed me.

[angshuman]

• Core = A processor. This is a technical computer architecture term. Some architects were upset that Intel's marketing dept. abused and patented a technical architecture term to name a product line. They should have used Hexium or something.
  
• Dual Core = any single-chip that has 2 full processors (a.k.a. cores) in it. Again, a technical architecture term.
  
• Pentium D = Intel's first desktop dual-core implementation, with 2x Pentium 4 cores.
  
• "Core" Duo = Intel's first mobile dual-core implemtation, with 2x Yonah cores (Yonah is a Pentium M derivative).
  
• "Core" 2 Duo = Intel's second desktop and mobile dual-core implementation. The desktop version has 2x Conroe cores, the mobile version has 2x Merom cores. Both Merom and Conroe are derivatives of Yonah.
  
• Athlon64 X2 = AMD's dual-core implementation, with 2x Athlon64 cores.
  

Oh, and that P4 has failed you. Imagine, all these years you could have had better performance while consuming less electricity had you bought an Athlon64 instead of the P4.

[LadyCrimson]

Oh, and that P4 has failed you. Imagine, all these years you could have had better performance while consuming less electricity had you bought an Athlon64 instead of the P4.

Some of us don't care about getting over 30FPS.

As to electricity - I probably consume more with the lamps I have on 12-24 hours a day.

 

But yeah...the P4 is definitely a more sluggish performer in games in tests. Still work/ed fine for us average joes who aren't tuned to really notice much difference in-game between "benchmarks." I'm eager to try the new stuff by now, tho.