Intel cache question

[perthguy]

I read that the pentium 600 series big selling point was l2 cache. But I've seen 500 series with level 2 cache (was this added later??).

Is the 600 series the better choice because it is 64bit enabled for future-proofing, andhas better power mgmt /heat mgmt through speedstep?

I'm not really seeing that much price difference so I'm thinking 630 is the way to go. Just wondering what current views are on this.

[blue60007]

You'll want to go with the 630. They have 2MB of L2 cache and 64-bit support (EMT64) and the 5xx's have 1MB of L2 cache and don't support 64-bit. And yes, I think they improved SpeedStep a little bit.

[Cricket]

I think one of the selling points of the 600 series P4s was the 2MB of L2 cache compared to 1MB on the 500 series P4s.

All modern processors have L2 cache on the chip. The L2 cache wasn't added to the 500 series P4s, it was always there.

Cricket

[kram 2.0]

EIST will downclock as far as 2.8Ghz when the cycles are not being used. Might seems like little, but it does help cut down on heat and power-usage issues.

Originally Posted by blue60007 5xx's have 1MB of L2 cache and don't support 64-bit

Intel made a last minute effort to put a 64-bit version of the 5x1 and 5x6 series - very short-lived though.

kram