Intel Pentium - The Processor Emporium (UK)

The Pentium, a buyers perspective

As the Intel Pentium processor has been out of production since late 1997, what does it offer to the PC buyer? Well, the Pentium processor is a big (possibly the biggest) processor on the used PC market, both in PC systems and individual chips. With the Pentium processor the used PC buyer really has a wide choice on both a price and power perspective.

Today the early Pentium processors do not offer the PC buyer the best value for money. The demands made by modern PC applications (especially Windows 98) are just too much for Pentiums running at speeds of 60, 66, 75 and 90 MHz. Windows applications now are only really confortable on a machine of P100 power or over. These chips though offer good performance for someone looking to run a Linux based PC, but no longer are they suitable for Windows applications. The best value Pentium processors currently on sale in the used markets are the 100, 120, 133 and 150 MHz examples. They all offer good performance (will run most Windows applications) for a reasonable cost.

Unfortunatly the same can not be said for the 166 and 200 MHz examples of the Pentium processor. Although these chips are the most powerful of the Pentium family, they do command high prices on the used market due to their desirability to upgraders. This is mainly due to the fact that not all socket 7 motherboards can run Pentium MMX chips and so only fast Pentium's can be used. This has resulted in prices of 200 MHz examples commanding prices of up to Ł150! Compared to the sheer value for money offered by AMD K6-2 and Celeron processors, we at the Processor Emporium can not recommend the Intel Pentium 166 & 200 MHz chips on the used market.

Intel Pentium, the verdict

Although the Intel Pentium Processor was once the greatest and best of all the PC processors, that day has now long gone. Subsequent generations of newer and faster processors have come and gone and left left the original Pentium feeling rather old and out dated. Even in its fastest incarnations it is now outclassed by a wide variety of chips on both price and performance. That said, many systems built around the Intel Pentium processor offer very good value for money on the used market and sould be well worth a look for the cost conscious PC buyer.

Technical Data for Intel Pentium (P54C)

Processor	Clock Speed	Bus Speed	Clock Muiltiplier
P 60	60 MHz	60 MHz	1x
P 66	66 MHz	66 MHz	1x
P 75	75 MHz	50 MHz	1.5x
P 90	90 MHz	60 MHz	1.5x
P 100	100 MHz	66 MHz	1.5x
P 120	120 MHz	60 MHz	2x
P 133	133 MHz	66 MHz	2x
P 150	150 MHz	60 MHz	2.5x
P 166	166 MHz	66 MHz	2.5x
P 200	200 MHz	66 MHz	3x

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