Core 2 Duo vs. Atom Bay Trail

[wnat35]

Hi folks,

Processor noob here. I'm looking for a cheap home theater PC. My options are an old HP DC7900 with an Intel Core 2 Duo e6850 (3.00 GHz) and an UnBranded 10.1 tablet with an Intel Atom Z3735F Bay Trail (1.33 GHz). Obviously the e6850 is quite a bit older, but is it still better than the Atom?

cpubenchmark shows the Core 2 Duo gets a 1975 CPU mark and the Atom gets a 919. Are these being measured on the same standard?

 

[wnat35]

Yup. Direct comparison. The C2D cpu is WAY more powerful than what you need for home theatre .But strong enough to do it and other things. The tablet would do it too, but I doubt you have an output for hi def on that one and the desktop can be upgraded a loong way with a cheap graphics card.
The wolfdale (late conroe?) core desktop is still compatible with almost everything that is released and will last, the tablet is intrinsically limited.
BTW, desktops always have twice the power, use twice as much electricity and last twice as long as a portable machine for the same money.
(you pay a lot more for laptops etc as mobile computing requires the highest tech available).

Thanks for the quick and detailed reply! Both would cost me about the same and are the cheapest options for an HTPC, so I was just wondering if the newer CPU made a difference.

The tablet does have micro-HDMI, but I need ethernet access so I'd need an ethernet adapter, a powered USB OTG adapter, and a USB hub, so that's a lot of accessories and the cost adds up.

I'll go with the C2D. Thanks again.