Intel Celeron E1200 Dual-Core 1.6 GHz LGA 775 65W BX80557E1200 Processor

Pros: This is a great little processor. I purchased this to restore and outdated Gigabyte DS3 v1.0 motherboard I had laying around for our home computer. It handles apps optimized for dual core much better than the old single core we had, and for everyday computing this is a solid bargain for the price. It runs very cool, and as others have mentioned it can handle moderate overclocking without additional cooling; I hit a modest 2.4 (a 50% increase!) with no problems. Others are getting as high as 3.4 with aftermarket cooling and additional voltage, although I wouldn't anticipate most people shopping in this range are intending to go that far. I would fully recommend this processor for basic home/office computing IF AND ONLY IF you are upgrading an existing Intel platform, for reasons explained below.

Cons: While this processor is very good, it does not represent the best deal in its price range (thus the 4 egg rating). At the time of this review, the similarly priced (+/- $4)Athlon X2 5000 Brisbane will beat this processor in most applications, especially in gaming. If you are building a completely new system I and are not planning on replacing this Celeron in the near future with a faster Intel chip, AMD has better options for the price. In addition, overclocking this chip to match the speeds of higher clocked Core2's does not yield equivocal performance, as the 512 cache really hinders performance; XbitLAbs has a great review of this processor, (google E1200 reviews) and their benchmarks confirm the limitations imposed by the tiny cache. If you can afford it, it's better to go with the E2200, because the difference for a $20 spot is substantial.

Overall Review: I’m not an AMD or Intel fanboy; I simply like getting as much performance as possible for my dollar. The purpose of this review is twofold: First, to inform potential buyers of the merits of this processor: For basic computing, it is an exceptional upgrade for existing systems because it offers good performance with nice overclocking potential and low thermal output. For completely new systems it offers entry level pricing with an Intel upgrade path. Secondly, buyers should know while this processor is good, it is not the fastest in its price bracket due to its tiny cache/low clock: The AMD chip is considerably faster in most tasks and thus warrants consideration. If you do not plan on replacing this chip for a faster Intel, the X2 5000+ is the better option. I hope that the research I did provides you all with some relevant info and insight to base your next purchase on. One last note: The stock Intel cooler is louder than the stock cooler from a Q6600; I used the latter on my build

Pros: cheap. got tired of room mate using my comp so i put one together for him. used this because of the price and the fact it was dual core. only needed a machine capable of running wow. did what i needed it too. instruction booklet just had pictures showing how to install. very good pictures though. with it i installed my first proc.

Cons: none so far, but time will tell.

Overall Review: just needed machine to run wow. other than that he just uses it for music and web browsing. good for everyday use.

Pros: Was running a 3.0 ghz P4 and upgraded to this I most definitely noticed a difference. For 50 bucks, this was a great deal for a dual-core.

Cons: Gets a little hot with the stock fan. You really shouldn't expect much from a stock fan anyways. I would recommend getting a better heat sink.

Overall Review: If you are finally trying to get away from the old P4 and agp and don't have much cash, then I recommend this CPU.

Pros: Excellent price and performance. Better performing than a P4 with hyper threading.

Cons: none so far

Overall Review: Upgrade my server from a P4 3GHz to this processor and despite the drop in clock speed the server performs better as the workload is now shared between two physical processors allowing for better response time. Overall a great valley.

Pros: The 512 L2 on the e1200s really hurts them for gaming performance but then, at the stock speed of 1.6ghz these aren't being sold as such anyway. This is budget power for the overclock-minded. My sample went to 2.66ghz without voltage adjustment on Gigabyte EP43-DS3L / Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, and could have gone higher could the board have handled 1600 bus but it refused to post in spite of voltage adjustments and tweaking. It ran hot with stock cooler at 2.66 but that was to be expected.

Cons: Pity 8x is the highest multiplier, this limits the overclocking on boards that can't exceed 1333 bus. Included HSF sucks of course, get a Tuniq or F7Pro.

Overall Review: The fact you need a good aftermarket HSF and motherboard to overclock this to great heights and the fact that the e2180 (which overclocks just as well, has a much higher stock clock speed, and has double the L2) costs only a little more cash makes this chip only suitable for a certain segment of the market: those that absolutely have to have dual core AND overclocking for the lowest cost possible. You're almost certain to get 2.0-2.4ghz easily with the stock cooler, and that makes it a pretty good buy.

Pros: Stable processor, included heatsink and fan keep it extremely cool even under load.

Cons: Plastic pin connector on the included heatsink took more effort than it should have to install. One of the pins absolutely refused to push down.

Overall Review: The cpu fan wire wraps around the top of the fan on this one, and it slipped from its holding clamp. I didn't notice this, so when i turned the comp on the first time, the fan was beating against the wire, causing an extremely obnoxious noise. I had to move the wire out of the way. Just be careful of that when you install the fan. Overall it is a great processor though. I am happy with it. The problems were only minimal.

Pros: For the price, this thing hauls. Pretty darn cold with only stock cooler. Perfect for conventional use. Sounds better when you tell the "illiterate" that you've got Intel dual-core.

Cons: You can easily find a more powerful processor for a lesser price, going with an AMD product. Fairly low bus speeds, unless overclocked.

Overall Review: I'd hate to say it, but since the release of Intel's i7, the Intel power\price ratio in comparison to AMD has become rather acceptable. Even knowing that I could find cheaper, better chips on Newegg, I rated this product 5 eggs trying to be non biased, as I am a fan of AMD. It is of rather good value.

Pros: runs cool in k45

Cons: none

Overall Review: Does everything I throw at it including high def files.