Productivity Gains from Upgrading

One reason that companies must consider upgrading their PCs today is the boost in productivity that new desktop and notebook systems can yield. Intel IT conducted a productivity study [PDF, 587KB] that pitted an older Intel® Pentium® III processor-based bundle running Microsoft Windows* 2000 and Microsoft* Office 2000 against an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor system bundle running Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office XP. Intel IT concluded, "More powerful configurations boosted useful work time significantly, to the point that increased productivity alone may justify the cost of the upgrade."

Performance Makes Users More Productive

The industry standard SYSmark* 2002 productivity benchmark test replicates today's multitasking business environment and clearly shows the productivity benefit of upgraded desktop systems. In fact, a Pentium 4 processor with HT Technology** 3 GHz-based PC demonstrated more than a six fold performance boost on the SYSmark benchmark over an Intel Pentium III processor-based PC.1

When it comes to mobile PCs, Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor – M at 2.20 GHz provides 2.1X the performance gain on Mobile Experience performance compared to a Mobile Intel® Pentium® III Processor at 1 GHz.

In addition, new processor technologies allow users to finish more jobs in less time than mere speed alone can accomplish. The latest Intel Pentium 4 processors, running at speeds ranging from 2.40 to 3.20 GHz, support innovative Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology. A single Pentium 4 processor with HT Technology presents itself to modern operating systems and applications as two virtual processors that can work on two sets of chores simultaneously. Through better multitasking and the use of multithreaded applications, users get more done.

New Usage Models Boost Productivity

Finally, upgraded PCs enable new usage models that increase productivity. For instance, e-learning, which allows workers to receive training at their desks and saves companies the cost of classroom training, requires substantial processor power. So do online collaboration and XML processing—both of which are proven technologies for boosting productivity.

Perhaps no other computing model has shown greater promise for increasing productivity than mobile computing. According to Gartner, employees with notebooks see up to three hours of increased productivity per week over their desktop-based counterparts.2 Add wireless connectivity to those notebooks and the figure increases to as much as 11 hours of new productivity per week.

In the final analysis, whether you choose to upgrade your desktop PCs, notebook PCs, or both, increased productivity will be a driving factor. To learn more about how Intel Pentium 4 processor-based PCs can increase productivity—and return on investment—explore the links for Desktop and Mobile Computing.

**Look for systems with the Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology logo which your system vendor has verified utilize Hyper-Threading Technology. Performance will vary depending on the specific hardware and software you use. See www.intel.com/info/hyperthreading for information.

Source: Intel. Configuration: Intel® Pentium® III processor at 500 MHz-Intel® Desktop Board SE440BX-2, 128-MB PC100 CL2 SDRAM, Leadtek* WinFast GeForce* 3/ nVidia* GeForce 3 4x AGP Graphics, nVidia Detonator* 3 reference driver 21.81, IBM DTLA-307030 30GB ATA-100 Hard Drive, Intel® Application Accelerator v1.1, Windows XP default driver Ultra DMA Mode 2; Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.80 GHz/533 MHz-Intel® 865G Desktop Board, 512-MB DDR333 CL2.5-3-3; Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology 2.80 GHz/800 MHz, 3 GHz/800 MHz-Intel® 865G Desktop Board, 512-MB DDR333 CL2.5-3-3; All Platforms Except Pentium III Processor Integrated graphics with Intel® Extreme Graphics, Graphics Driver Beta Candidate 6.13.01.3314, Microsoft* Default UDMA-5, Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility 5.00.1003 beta, IBM 80GB 120GXP IC35L080AVVA07-0 ATA 100 Hard Drive; Intel® C & FORTRAN compilers 6.0 for SPEC, DirectX 8.1, Windows XP Build 2600 SP1, 100 Mbps Intel® Pro/100+ Management PCI LAN Card. Performance tests and ratings are measured using specific computer systems and/or components and reflect the approximate performance of Intel products as measured by those tests. Any difference in system hardware or software design or configuration may affect actual performance.

Desktop PCs: Technology Overview," Gartner, Inc., August 2002

Results of three independent studies showed that notebook users averaged around eight hours of new productivity per week when they received wireless networking capability (see www.intel.com/ebusiness/notebook/centrino/productivity.htm).

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