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General discussion

Pentium II or Higher?

Dec 11, 2004 9:14PM PST

Would a celeron chip be equivalent or better than a pentium II? I have some software which needs to be installed on a Pentium II or higher, but want to purchase a celeron laptop. Would a Celeron be OK? Any comments would be much appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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Re: Pentium II or Higher?
Dec 11, 2004 9:48PM PST

I wouldn't recommend a Celeron processor. I've had a computer with that processor and it was junk. It also sounds like you are trying to install a really old program. What is the program?

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Re: Pentium II or Higher?
Dec 12, 2004 10:28AM PST

It is just a training program for a review class I'm taking. Well I don't need to most powerful computer just something to run this program and maybe surf and write letters. Running this program is important though. Would a Celeron be capable you think?

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Re: Pentium II or Higher?
Dec 12, 2004 7:13PM PST

That depends. If the program is too old, it may not run with the operating system installed. What are the specs of notebook you want to buy? Have you check the web site for that program?

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Esgunawan, I Disagree Somewhat With glb613
Dec 13, 2004 2:21AM PST

Although I'm not saying the Celeron processor is the fastest processor in the world, the newer ones will certainly fit the Pentium II class or better. I've got an 6-7 year old 366 mhz Celeron that is still running fine. (At one time, the computer ran about 10 - 12 hours daily, although now it's only used once or twice a week.) My one year old XP HOME computer is running a 2.6 GHZ Celeron and it also is doing a great job with no hiccups (about 6-8 hours per day currently)...Recognize that these aren't gaming machines and are only used for internet work, school work, and general home use..

I also have a few customers that run their machines 12 hours a day for years...Most have had no problems...Some have overclocked their Celerons and made fairly decent game machines out of some of the older stuff.

So, although I wouldn't recommend the Celeron as a high end processor for the elite customer, I have seen them work fine for the purpose you intend...As "glb613" suggested, make sure that the operating system on the computer is compatible with the program. That's more important than the specific processor type...

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Re: Esgunawan, I Disagree Somewhat With Grif
Dec 13, 2004 6:19AM PST

I guess turn about is fair play. I've never known anyone who was happy in the long run with a low end computer. And gone are the days when buying a midrange computer or better is out of reach for the average person. The only exception I can think of is someone really only uses a computer for word processing, internet surfing, e-mail and has no plans to do more. This poster may find a older computer or operating system is needed for that program to work. Gail

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Gail, You've Finally Met One Who Is Happy....
Dec 13, 2004 8:49AM PST

.....with a low end computer...(although I don't feel my 2.6 GHZ Celeron with 768 mb of PC2100 RAM is "low end".) And I have the option to buy anything I want...I also have a number of customers who are content with Celerons. A year ago, I searched for the computer that I wanted for our home use and I CHOSE a Celeron, which at the time was about $150-$200 less than the comparable Pentium's or Athlons. And believe me, I service and maintain Pentiums all day long at the office. Unless you're a gamer or require extreme processing speed, my current 2.6 GHZ Celeron is above "mid range".

If you'll read the second post in the thread from "esgunawan", you see this response:

"Well I don't need to most powerful computer just something to run this program and maybe surf and write letters"

Exactly what a Celeron was designed for.

Just my choice and it may not be your's.

Grif

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I agree with Grif
Dec 13, 2004 6:29AM PST

I had two computers one hp with a 667mhz Celeron processor and a compaq with a 700mhz Pentium 3. These were my first two computers about 4 1/2 years ago. For general use I could not tell a difference in performance.

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Re: Pentium II or Higher?
Dec 13, 2004 7:54AM PST

A Celeron is more than capable of doing what you need. If money is a concern, get the Celeron. It will do the job.
As a note, the machine I have now is a P4, had it going on 2 years now. But before that all machines I had were Celeron, or worse. But all performed well, considering I am not a big gamer, or Video Editing nut Happy

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Thanks for input
Dec 14, 2004 9:57PM PST

Looks like a celeron will probably work for me. I will only be using this one training program and surfing and writing letters.

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Added info
Dec 14, 2004 10:00PM PST

I'm actually considering the Dell 1000 Inspirion.

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That's a Basic Machine Alright...Read The Reviews....
Dec 15, 2004 2:33AM PST

Here's CNET reviews on that model...Not "great", but not too bad on the rating...You didn't mention that the computer was going to be a laptop, but recognize that the Celeron processors can make the computer quite hot when placed directly on your lap...(They're better when placed on a table.) The newer Centrinos, although more expensive, will run cooler to the touch.

Dell Inspiron 1000

Just a personal note...Because backups are so important, MAKE SURE that you have the DVD/CD-RW drive included. It normally is...It will make the machine a little more versatile.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Celeron Laptop
Dec 15, 2004 8:32AM PST

I had a Celeron 500mhz laptop for the last few years to get me through university. I only used it for surfing and writing essays and it was OK for those things. It had 128mb ram and ran XP just fine -- but it would start swapping memory to the HD if I had more than 2 apps running simultaneously. So get some more ram; laptops from that era don't usually come with much.