Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 2.0GHz Processor

Big bang for the buck

Strengths: Price, overclocking capability.

Weakness: Smaller cache and aluminium heatsink.

Unlike what many think, the e2180 is a dual core processor just like its more expensive cousins. Intel's messy marketing called it Pentium Dual Core. If you are a realist and smart consumer, definitely check out the e2180 and the other e2xxx series CPUs. It handles Vista as beautifully as the big boys. With the right motherboard, it can overclock to over 3G Hz, at less than half of the price. At...
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Unlike what many think, the e2180 is a dual core processor just like its more expensive cousins. Intel's messy marketing called it Pentium Dual Core.

If you are a realist and smart consumer, definitely check out the e2180 and the other e2xxx series CPUs. It handles Vista as beautifully as the big boys. With the right motherboard, it can overclock to over 3G Hz, at less than half of the price. At that speed level, the issue of small cache became immaterial.

However, better heatsink is absolutely necessary for overclocking because Intel really tries to save money here. I used the Intel stock heatsink came from an e6850. Unlike the e2180's, this one has a nice copper base. I have no problem whatsoever overclocking this to 3G Hz. I'll bet you can get higher if you feel ambitious.

The e2180 is respectable product and an excellent buy.

By toysmogul - Jan 17, 2008

Cheap upgrade to a faster machine

Strengths: Price, Core 2 Duo architecture

Weakness: Fan could be quieter

Unlike the clueless overclockers that seem to dominate these reviews, I actually bought the E2180 to do real work, not run useless benchmarks and make worthless claims about how fast I think I'm actually managing to get the thing to run. In the process of upgrading my wife's PC (the whole DDR/AGP to DDR2/PCIe migration someone else mentioned), I managed to get a decent deal on a Pentium 531 (3.0...
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Unlike the clueless overclockers that seem to dominate these reviews, I actually bought the E2180 to do real work, not run useless benchmarks and make worthless claims about how fast I think I'm actually managing to get the thing to run.

In the process of upgrading my wife's PC (the whole DDR/AGP to DDR2/PCIe migration someone else mentioned), I managed to get a decent deal on a Pentium 531 (3.0 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 1 MB L2 cache, Prescott core), so that's what her machine initially ended up using.

A couple of months back, one of the fine retailers listed by PriceGrabber had a sale on the newly announced E2180 and, wanting to get my wife's new machine on a Core 2 Duo (mine is an E4400), I sprang for it.

Initial impressions are favorable. We've just upgraded to Windows XP (laugh if you will, but Windows 2000 was working just fine for real work as opposed to pointless benchmarking), and the machine was smooth with the Pentium 531 but is now noticeably snappier with the E2180.

For all of my wife's desktop publishing, image editing, and other tasks, the E2180 has made the system crisp. Of course, there's 3 GB of memory in it, too, so the headroom is their whatever she can throw at it.

So, considering that my wife's previous system (Intel 2.66 GHz Pentium 4, D875PBZ motherboard, 1 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 AGP video, etcetera) lasted for 4 years and, frankly, was still thoroughly usable, I see her new setup with the E2180 easily capable of lasting just as long. And, frankly, since Windows Vista has turned out to be the ultimate dog with no sane person having a reason to drop XP (what's the point?), the E2180 could hang around for 5 to 6 years, barring some real change in the software that people want to use (as opposed to being forced to use, like Vista).

One odd thing I've noticed with the E2180 is that the fan seems a little louder than that on the Pentium 531, even though it appears to be exactly the same (no copper heat slug, on either, as one astute reviewer noted). Perhaps some settling in time for the motor is necessary.

By yanusbfd - Feb 29, 2008

Budget Core 2 Duo at Premium Performance!

Strengths: Excellent Performance for the money and can be overclock to 3.6ghz and includes Heatsink & CPU Fan.

Weakness: Only has 1MB of L2 not great for 3D Gaming. The included Heatsink & Fan only good up to stock speed of E2180. If you plan to overclock, be sure to get better CPU Heatsink & Fan.

Mind also has MO stepping, which is much better overclocks than L0 stepping.
Did not push mine up to 3.6ghz, but running at 2.4ghz with simple adjustment in the bios.
Completely stable and did not notice any rise in temperature using stock heatsink fan. (maybe less than 1 degree)
If you are not serious gamer, this CPU is more than enough for everyday use!

By gdfind - Oct 21, 2007

Low Cost CPU, Good Candidate for Overclocking

Strengths: Good Value for overclocker

Weakness: Not consistent OC

Purchased as a bundle with Shuttle SD30G2B with a microATX board. I was able to overclock to 3.0G but the case fan is a bit noisy so I exchange with another bundle. But the new CPU could only reach 2.4G. I exchanged the CPU this time and it works fine at 3.0G. No special components are used. With a better MB I believe I can go higher.

By maylh - Nov 14, 2007

Intel E2180

Strengths: Excellent overclocking ability--easily running 3.33GHz. Great budget overclocker.

Weakness: If you don't overclock it's a mediocre processor. Only 1 Meg of L2 cache so won't keep up with the E4x00 and E6x50 series for gaming.

I bought this processor specifically as a cheap overclocker to hold me over until the new 45nm processors come out next year. For around $90 this is a great value if want to play around with overclocking. This one has a 10x locked multiplier.

By blckangl - Oct 13, 2007