Pentium 4 2.8MHz 2MB cache vs Pentium 4 2.8MHz 4MB cache?

Question

How much fast/better would be a PC with Pentium4 2.8 MHz 4MB cache processor than a PC with Pentium4 2.8 MHz 2MB cache processor, assuming that the remaining specs are same.
(I have to pay only £30 more for everything same but a processor with 4MB cache instead of 2MB)
Professional opinion required

Thanks in Advance

It is Pentium Duo (dual core)

Answer 1

The extra cache will only be beneficial when processing large amounts of data like video files (for example).

If you (like many of us) plan to frequently convert downloaded movies & other video files to DVD format & burn them onto disks I strongly suggest getting the 4MB cache processor.

It will give you a very significant increase in performance during such operations.

regards,
Philip T

Answer 2

Pentium 4 CPUs of 2.8 GHz (not MHz) never came with more than 1 MB L2 cache. Perhaps you mean the dual core Pentium D 820 which came with 2 x 1 MB L2 cache using 90nm technology and model 920 with 2 x 2 MB L2 via 65 nm technology. You would need applications that made regular use of the larger L2 cache to notice any difference in performance.

These CPUs use socket 775 and, with core 2 Duo CPUs using the same socket, a model E6600 at 2.4 GHz with larger L1 cache and 4 MB shared L2 cache would run rings around either Pentium D and would run much cooler.

Answer 3

You'd do better than either if you go with a Core 2 Duo with 4MB cache, but in this case I'd say get the Pentium 4 with 4MB cache.

Answer 4

I would go for the one with the 4mb cache. Cache memory built onto the CPU die and there for faster and more expensive so for the extra £30 I think that the 4mb is a steal. Go for it.

Answer 5

Go the 4MB cache

Cache is high speed memory stored next to the CPU, any information which the Cpu is useing a lot of times will be stored there (as it quicker to access that info from the cache, instead of going back to the ram, or HD which is time consuming).

So the more you have....The more information can be stored, it will make a difference

Answer 6

Go for the 4MB definitely worth £30 extra

Answer 7

Depending on what you will be doing with the PC, you probably will never know the difference. If your going to be doing anything extremely intensive, you will probably want the larger cache size. Its really up to you, and what the purpose of the system will be.