Comparing Processors

So I found out I'm getting a computer this Christmas (zOMG, rich kid, lol), and that it had a dual core processor, which I thought was awesome, y'know I thought that it was one of those newfangled Core 2 Duo processors that they advertise on gaming sites.

That is until I see the package itself. I saw two computers, one for my sister and one for me. However mine has a Pentium D processor that runs at 2.66 GHz, while hers has a Pentium 4 that runs at 3.2 GHz. Or something close to that. I also find out that the sales guy told my mom that speed is no longer as important, and I know that's somewhat true, and the computer I'm getting actually has more memory and HD space than my other.

The question is, is the Pentium D inherently better than the Pentium 4?

Your logic is retarded. Dual core is better.

>>1
Also, "speed" was never important. Megahurtz, bits, registers, FSB speed, bandwidth, die size, cache size, number of transistors, parts of the design the engineers dropped coffee over, all are simple, single measures of one resource for one kind of application (at best), created from simple minds (marketing people) for simple minds (lusers).

What's important is... PERFORMANCE! Wow I'm a genius, that was so difficult to think of. A better processor runs what you want to run faster. It's actually simpler than all the megahurtz bullshit people throws at you.

>>1
P.S.: The Pentium 4 @ 3.2 GHz could outperform the Pentium D for some applications, and vice-versa. I think your computer will usually outperform your sister's for what you want to run (so e-penis is not threatened; also, use your real penis to pork your sister, it's good for you).

But computers are more than just processor. You need to take RAM (amount and frequency) and other components into account (for games, the video card is more important than the CPU, as modern games are usually GPU-bound).

Alright then, um my computer has 1024 Mb of RAM, and a 120 Gb HD, both of which are almost double than what my sister has. And I know that the video card is more important for gaming, but I found this: http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=1810&p=23 and there's a noticeable difference between the Pentium D and the newer Pentium 4. Should I really be worrying this much?