Buying – The sSpec Numbers

In order to differentiate the different models from one another, the CPU’s retail packaging sports a so-called sSpec number.

Pentium Dual-Core Models

sSpec Nr.	Model	Frequency	Stepping	Idle Power
SLA8X	E2200	2.20 GHz	M0	8 W
SLA8Y	E2180	2.00 GHz	M0	8 W
SLA3H	E2160	1.80 GHz	L2	12 W
SLA8Z	E2160	1.80 GHz	M0	8 W
SLA3J	E2140	1.60 GHz	L2	12 W
SLA93	E2140	1.60 GHz	M0	8 W

All Pentium Dual-Core CPUs use a 200MHz FSB (800QDR) and are produced on a 65nm process. Our model has the sSpec number SLA3J.

The sSpec number consists of the last five digits of the product code on the retail package. If you’re buying the processor without the box and have the opportunity to take a look at the heat spreader, you can find the product number there as well.

Like the classical Core 2 processors, the Pentium Dual-Core CPUs are manufactured on a 65 nm process and possess the MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3 and EM64T (64 Bit) instruction sets. Unlike their bigger siblings, they don’t have VT support for virtualization software such as VMware and Virtual PC built in, though.

Processor Price

Model	Frequency	Multiplier	Price
Pentium Dual-Core E2200	11x	2.2 GHz	unknown
Pentium Dual-Core E2180	10x	2 GHz	€68
Pentium Dual-Core E2160	9x	1.8 GHz	€58
Pentium Dual-Core E2140	8x	1.6 GHz	€49

We opted for the Pentium Dual-Core E2140 that sells for €49 and determined that it possesses exceptionally high overclocking potential. You could also choose a model with a higher clockspeed, which would mean less strain on the chipset because the motherboard’s front-side bus would not have to be increased as much. However, this is not an issue with the motherboard we chose for this test, which can handle high FSB speeds just fine.

The Pentium Dual-Core System

Component	Price
Processor	€49
Motherboard	-
Memory	-
Cooler	-
PSU	-
Graphics Card	-
Total	€49

• 3 – Buying – The sSpec Numbers
  

  1. 1 – Extreme Overclocking Potential – Intel’s Pentium Dual-Core E2140
  2. 2 – Intel's Marketing Trick – The Pentium Dual-Core in Detail
  3. 3 – Buying – The sSpec Numbers
  4. 4 – Motherboard – MSI P35 Neo2-FR
  5. 5 – Memory – G.E.I.L. Black Dragon DDR2-800
  6. 6 – Cooler – Zalman CNPS9700 LED
  7. 7 – Power Supply – Hiper HPU-4M350
  8. 8 – Graphics Card – ATI PowerColor HD3850
  9. 9 – Overclocking Stage I – 2.66 GHz
  10. 10 – Overclocking Stage II – 3 GHz
  11. 11 – Overclocking Stage III – 3.4 GHz
  12. 12 – Overclocking Stage IV – 3.5 GHz
  13. 13 – An Overview of the Core Voltages
  14. 14 – Power Consumption – 90 Watts for the CPU
  15. 15 – Energy Cost – 143 Watts and €127 per year
  16. 16 – Overclocking - 59% Performance Boost
  17. 17 – Test Setup
  18. 18 – Software Configuration
  19. 19 – Benchmarks and Settings
  20. 20 – 3D-Games - UT2004 and Prey
  21. 21 – 3D-Games - Quake 4 and Warhammer
  22. 22 – 3D-Games - Supreme Commander und Serious Sam 2
  23. 23 – 3D-Rendering - Cinema 4D and 3D-Studio Max
  24. 24 – Applications - AVG and WinRAR
  25. 25 – Applications - Photoshop and PDF Creation
  26. 26 – Applications - Deep Fritz
  27. 27 – Audio Encoding - iTunes and Lame MP3
  28. 28 – Synthetic - Sandra CPU
  29. 29 – Synthetic - Sandra Memory
  30. 30 – Synthetic - Sandra Multimedia
  31. 31 – Synthetic - PC-Mark
  32. 32 – Synthetic - 3D-Mark
  33. 33 – Video Encoding - Xvid and Pinnacle Studio
  34. 34 – Video Encoding - Premiere and Mainconcept
  35. 35 – Video Encoding - HDTV and DivX
  36. 36 – Video Encoding - CloneDVD
  37. 37 – Conclusion – Outstanding Value for Money when Overclocked
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