Some of Intel's cheapest dual-core CPUs will now have four threads enabled rather than just two, in what may be a move to compete with AMD's upcoming Ryzen CPUs, which all have two threads per core:
The Pentium series traditionally consists of low-power, dual-core offerings with no [Hyper-Threading (HT)]. Pentiums serve as the low-end alternative to the i3 series, which features dual-core offerings with HT enabled. The addition of HT to the Pentium series expands its range, but there are still a few key differentiators compared to the i3 series.
[...] The HT-enabled Pentiums create a challenge to AMD's line of low-end processors, and of course, some will speculate that it appears that Intel is bolstering its low-end products in the face of AMD's pending Ryzen onslaught. In either case, the HT-powered Pentiums add a welcome new wrinkle to the low end. The processors are listed on Intel's ARK but are currently available only for preorder.
(Score: 2) by hamsterdan on Friday January 13 2017, @11:54PM
For everyday use, my old DELL Optiplex 755 with a 3.16 dual-core CORE2Duo does the job (old Agility2 SSD). couple of years old. It's been upgraded to 8GB RAM, Soundblaster Audigy2 and Radeon 7750. Next week it will be transplanted with a Q6600 (tricked into running at 3GHZ by painting pads with window defogger paint). Unless I intend to run DooM, everything will run as smooth as a newer machine (thanks the SSD)
For the last couple years, upgrading is not needed for common jobs...