Oh how I love me some Core2Duo...

[Soulkeeper]

There is no FM3 or FM3+.

typo, didn't even notice

 

[hhhd1]

This article from Tom's has always stuck in my head; a little tweaking and Core 2 Duo idle power could match Atom; then provide more power when needed.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-atom-efficiency,2069.html

I still use a Q6600 at home for server duties; but the Win XP install needs replaced with Linux...

Nice article.

I still run an E2160 as my secondary and backup computer, have it under-clocked with lower voltage to lower heat production and power usage.

Its stock speed is 1.8 GHz, used to run stable with stock cooling at 2.6~2.8 GHz for gaming, and run at 1.2 GHz for power saving.

Still does what I need it to do, like web browsing, and office applications.

 

[AllWhacked]

My present computer runs a Core2Duo E4500@2.2GHz. I agree with the OP. I built this computer in 2008 and till today it runs very nice. I have even attempted to overclock, but sadly i have a very crappy Jetway motherboard that doesn't POST with FSB more than 220. So my max OC is 2.43 GHz.

I plan on getting a new motherboard and 4 GB of RAM so that i can fullly utilize my CPU. However the thing is that socket 775 motherboards aren't easily available in the market, and I live in India, where the computer component market is extremely small and limited. Good quality parts are hard to come by. The only Socket 775 motherboards i have seen have a G41 chipset and i don't know whether it is good fpr overclocking or not.

Anybody here has any experience with G41 chipsets?

Before you go out and buy a new motherboard, you should try the BSEL mod to force the motherboard to run your 800 FSB CPU to 1066 FSB. Back when I had an e4300 and e4500, I used the mod to overclock the CPUs on the cheapo ECS motherboards that they would sell at Fry's Electronics. My old e4500 OC'd to 3GHz no problem.

All you need to do with the mod is buy some defogger paint and paint a path to the pins as shown in this picture - http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9697/success1xz8.jpg

 

[SPBHM]

G41 is fine for CPUs with low default FSB,
but don't expect significant OC from CPUs with FSB333.

also with FSB200 CPUs, most cheap boards will not allow you to used 1:1 for memory
some don't even allow 2.66, so it can be problematic, because it's going to force you to overclock the memory pretty high, but with 2.66 is fine, 300*2.66 = 800, 300x11 = 3300MHz, should be good for the e4500.

decent G31/G41 should do that.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I imagine a fair bit of engineering went into making it so the CPUs could handle the higher clocks.

Right. With the original Pentium M, Intel actually went in and redesigned circuits if they where capable of past 2GHz. Pentium M had a very low clock ceiling. All in the name of efficiency.

 

[VirtualLarry]

This article from Tom's has always stuck in my head; a little tweaking and Core 2 Duo idle power could match Atom; then provide more power when needed.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-atom-efficiency,2069.html

I still use a Q6600 at home for server duties; but the Win XP install needs replaced with Linux...

That's an interesting article, I just read it. But it proves that Intel's "big core" line have BETTER power-efficiency than their small-core line. Well, for computational tasks, that is. Makes me wonder where the ARM server guys got their ideas from, seems to be a pointless endeavor.

 

[Haserath]

That's an interesting article, I just read it. But it proves that Intel's "big core" line have BETTER power-efficiency than their small-core line. Well, for computational tasks, that is. Makes me wonder where the ARM server guys got their ideas from, seems to be a pointless endeavor.

Atom has come a long way since then. The platform for it was terrible. Silvermont based parts are better, though they can definitely improve.

There is supposedly a guy that has gotten an Ivy Bridge build to idle at 6W or less(needs Pico PSU), so it's certainly possible to make them more frugal.

 

[Yuriman]

Atom has come a long way since then. The platform for it was terrible. Silvermont based parts are better, though they can definitely improve.

There is supposedly a guy that has gotten an Ivy Bridge build to idle at 6W or less(needs Pico PSU), so it's certainly possible to make them more frugal.

Very true. When Atom first came out, everyone wondered why Intel had even bothered because it was on a power-hungry chipset that often drew more power than the CPU under load. Intel has made strides here.