so i considered upgrading my desktop pc, which is pentium 4 2,4ghz with 512mb ram, to compaq v3161 which has Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5200-1.6GHz (2MB Cache,667MHz FSB)and 512mb of ram, which one is faster? i use it mainly for corel draw, photoshop, word, excel and internet programs do you think 1,66 ghz is enough? and is it faster than my desktop computer?

I did a quick google search on the T5200 but didn't find much. Apparently it's a relatively new laptop/notebook processor. You really can't do a direct clock speed comparison between the P4 & Core 2 Duo because they are totally different processor designs. If you're unhappy with the performance of your current system, it could be due to many things...one of them being that fact that you only have 512MB RAM. How about listing your desktop system specs in more detail?

I don't think Compaq's Presario V3161TU & V3161AU are marketed on this side of the pacific - someone correct me if I am wrong. Now, there's quite a few (478) 2.4GHz P4's out there, ranging from the 400FSB & 533FSB to the 800FSB variants. However, simply comparing a CPU from that old batch to the Core 2 Duo (notebook) lineup, is more like an apple to oranges type of equation. AFAIK & according to Intel - the Merom (Yonah's successor) based Core 2 CPUs is their premier line of mobile processors, with largely the same features as (desktop) Conroe but with more emphasis on low power consumption to enhance notebook battery life. Intel has claimed that Merom will provide 20% more performance yet maintain the same battery life as the Yonah-based Core Duo, plus it is the first Intel mobile processor to feature EM64T 64-bit extensions and don't forget Yonah itself was successor to the Pentium M based mobile CPUs. What this all means in a nutshell is. The Core 2 Duo CPU in the T5200 based laptop should outperform the 478 2.4Ghz P4 in your desktop, but a desktop is a desktop and a laptop isn't quite like it.