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ajsimeon

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2007
127
2
So I've got two of these systems to choose from for the same price.

Which should I get for the same price?

1.83 core duo
2 gig
120gb

vs.

1.83 core 2 duo
1 gig
80 gb
 
Personally, I would go for the core 2 duo system, as you can then upgrade ram and hard drive later.

What do you intend to use the system for, and how long do you intend to keep it before your next system?

:):apple:
 
Mostly just an htpc. Would both be ok to play 720p smoothly. Both systems are upgradeable. How old are these sytems apart?
 
Core2Duo>CoreDuo

You can, as many other members said, upgrade the internals. You can do it cheaply.
 
Mostly just an htpc. Would both be ok to play 720p smoothly. Both systems are upgradeable. How old are these sytems apart?

As I understand it, 720p should be fine on both, the Core 2 Duo may also handle 1080p, depending on the graphics card in the system you're looking at, the bit rate of the video file and the codec with which the video was encoded with..

The first Core 2 Duo processors came out 6 months after the Core Duo processors.

Bear in mind, it may not be as easy to upgrade the processor, depending on your level of tech, as the hard drive and RAM.

:):apple:
 
There's a thread in this forum which describes the processor swap from 1.83 CD to 1.83 C2D . . . since they're both mobile class processors and socketed . . . it's as easy as changing a hard drive or ram. ;)
 
Mostly just an htpc. Would both be ok to play 720p smoothly. Both systems are upgradeable. How old are these sytems apart?

They'll both do 720p equally well.

There's a thread in this forum which describes the processor swap from 1.83 CD to 1.83 C2D . . . since they're both mobile class processors and socketed . . . it's as easy as changing a hard drive or ram. ;)

Well, it's not that easy. Plus those cpus are nearly impossible to find these days.
 
Isn't one of the biggest difference between core duo and core 2 duo the 32bit and 64bit architecture respectively? As new operating systems use 64bits to run, core 2 duo will have a longer useable life. Just my 2 cents.
 
Well, it's not that easy. Plus those cpus are nearly impossible to find these days.


You're right, not as easy as ram, pulling a socketed CPU out of a motherboard is not brain surgery . . . and currently there's something like eighteen M socket T5600 processors on US eBay . . . :rolleyes:
 
What computer?

For the Mac mini you can only upgrade systems that shipped with a Core Duo to 2GB max, Core 2 Duo machines will take up to 4GB (and use 3.xGB). And this stays the same even if you upgrade a CD machine with a C2D chip.

For a HTPC 2GB RAM is probably plenty - how many apps are you running at once.

Both those drives are way too small - presumably you will use external drives (FW400) to add the capacity you need or swap out the internal drive for something much larger.
 
The processor in the Mini isn't socketed like on the iMac, if I recall

The first intel mini CPU (2/2006-2/2009) is socketed and you can change any of those to C2D, even the Core Solo machines.

The new 3/2009+ intel mini CPU is epoxied in place.

BTW from the benchmarks I have seen the C2D chip is about 10% faster in daily use at the same clock speeds. The 2.0GHz+ C2D due get double the L2 cache, so those are even faster than their CD counterpars.
 
The Core Duo is limited to 2GB RAM max. The C2D (if it came from the factory that way and the CPU was not user upgraded) can support 3+GB RAM...I'd get the C2D

No, the Core Duo can address 3 gb of RAM. The problem is the Calistoga chipset's memory controller has been firmware limited to 2 gb by Apple for some silly reason. If you put a Core 2 Duo cpu in a Mini that was OEM with Core Duo/Solo, you're still limited to 2 gb of RAM. It won't even boot if you put more than 2 gb.

Swapping out a Core Duo with a Core 2 Duo of the same speed really is a waste of time and effort, IYAM. If one is to do it, it'd only be worthwhile to put in a T7400 or T7600.
 
Well I decided on the core 2 duo. Works great. Already looking to upgrade the components inside sometime. Definitely looking to upgrade from 1 gig to 4 gig. Anyone think the t7600 from a t5600 is a good upgrade? I'm basically using it as an htpc. Watching and recording 720p using some type of had tv tuner. Any suggestions on which hdtv tuner is the best? Also a hard drive upgrade is inevitable. I have a intel x25m in my 13 inch macbook pro now and it screams. Would love to have that plus a big external for media. I don't really want to upgrade slowly cause it seems like a hassle to keep opening up so hopefully i could save enough money and buy everything at once.
 
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