Quad Cores or Dual Cores? I'm COnfused =(

[Dogoid]

what is e0 stepping?

new versions of the same cpu are released via a alphanumeric system. a0,b2,e0, etc. cpu manufacturers will release a cpu as a-0 , as time goes by and they work out bugs and improve the cpu , each step of the release phase will be tagged as so. big improvements will have the letter changed like a-0 to b-0 etc.


just like a programs version being 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 ,etc.

 

[Trunks9486]

Quads are the future, unless you change components every 5-12 months then get the quad. Q6600 still offers the best value, while Q9550 is better.

 

[Dogoid]

Quads are the future, unless you change components every 5-12 months then get the quad. Q6600 still offers the best value, while Q9550 is better.

not for a gamer it isnt , since games do not fully support quad cores and with each core being a lower clock than a dual, its better to go for a dual.


if your editing video , folding etc. quad makes more sense.

 

[Greebo]

not for a gamer it isnt , since games do not fully support quad cores and with each core being a lower clock than a dual, its better to go for a dual.


if your editing video , folding etc. quad makes more sense.

Depends on the games. Company of heroes for example makes use of all 4 cores and so does FSX.

In COH the quad, if you have a very high end graphics card, can make a difference to the framerate of between 20-90fps (EDIT: corrected, it should have been 90fps and not 50fps)

I will admit the list of quad core supported games is small but with Intel and AMD next cpu offerings all been 4,8 and even 16 cores, you can only assume that eventually more and more games will take adavantage of the multi cores.

Therefore, if long term, "safer" to go with the slower quad now. If you plan to change again in the next 12-18mths, get the faster dual core for better game performance now and a quad next time you swap.

 

[Dogoid]

by the time most developers are making games that mostly support quad cores, there will be a better chips out and you will most likely be buying what's out then.

since the support for quad cores today in games is low , there is little point going down that route if your a gamer.

 

[Phil2008]

Agree, I noticed that Grid makes good use of the quad as well. Also Cod4 spreads the load as well, over 4 cores. Glad I upgraded from my trusty E2180.

I dont get that cos both games run perfectly smooth with quad a or dual cpu, cos there not really pushing either cpu to the max if cpus are 3ghz or higher, so why get quad???

 

[Kelt]

I dont get that cos both games run perfectly smooth with quad a or dual cpu, cos there not really pushing either cpu to the max if cpus are 3ghz or higher, so why get quad???

Just shows that games are starting to use quads better. Also less load on each core equals less stress.

Looking forward to games like Alan Wake where each individual core is given a separate task if using a quad.

 

[Randell]

Depends on the games. Company of heroes for example makes use of all 4 cores and so does FSX.

In COH the quad, if you have a very high end graphics card, can make a difference to the framerate of between 20-50fps

link please, I've yet to see CoH numbers that support that.

I've been told by people I know who work in game development that 2 cores is enough for the next game cycle. On a set budget a gamer should choose a faster dual core over a slower quad core for this year and next year at least.

 

[Greebo]

link please, I've yet to see CoH numbers that support that.

I've been told by people I know who work in game development that 2 cores is enough for the next game cycle. On a set budget a gamer should choose a faster dual core over a slower quad core for this year and next year at least.

You asked and I supply:

COH:

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=770&p=2

As you can see a quad core offers double the framerates over the same speed dual core.Don't forget this wasn't the case when COH of heroes first came out but is something that the programmers added with a patch

And if you google coh and quad core and look at 45nm reviews where they use coh as a benchmark you will see that this is by no means a one off. There is a major boost to COH with quad cores so longs as your graphics card is high end. I must admit the other reviews only show a 50% boost in framerates with a quad (but pre GTX280 and 4870x2 days) but either way, that is a major boost in framerate.

FSX:

Quads do not increase the framerates over dual. Hence in simple reviews you will not see a quad outperforming a dual core. However, FSX uses the quad to have a much higher image quality without any reduction in the framerate.

Eg a 8500 at 3Ghz and q6600 @ 3Ghz may show the exact same framerate on a chart, however the graphics will be far superior on the quad system. This was yet again a patch and not in the original game. Don't beleive me? Look here:

http://forum.i3d.net/main/26986-sponsored-feature-microsoft-flight-simulator-x-soars.html

That is from the people who wrote FSX and INtel who helped a lot with the mutli core optimising. From memory the article goes on to say that FSX scales right up to 32 cores

Like I said though. If you are going to change cpus again within a year, get a fast dual core now. If you plan to keep for a long time (I kept my old cpu for 3 and half years) then the quad is the one to go for.

 

[tatts]

Has anyone owned both a quad & dual?
I'm really interested in seeing the FPS difference between a 3.6GHZ quad & a 4GHZ dual

 

[Greebo]

Has anyone owned both a quad & dual?
I'm really interested in seeing the FPS difference between a 3.6GHZ quad & a 4GHZ dual

Now thats a question with many answers

And it will be a different answer depending on the res and the graphics card.

On games which are gpu limited with a quad at 3.6Ghz then the 4Ghz dual will not be one frame faster.

On cpu limited games which only support two cores, the dual core will be maybe up to 10% faster.

On games supporting quad cores and a very cpu limited, the gain for the quad would be up to 80%.

 

[RizlaKing]

More and more games seem to be getting patched to perform better with quad cpu's. It is hard to explain to someone that doesn't have a quad how much smoother a game becomes when it uses all the cores. My example of supreme commander in my experience i only got a few fps more but the game as a whole was considerably smoother and therefore easier to play more so when i had an epic scale battle going. End of the day it comes down to personal choice but so far i have not regretted going quad over dual and the future looks like that decision will continue to pay dividends.

 

[RoastChicken]

Really Interesting read to be honest seeing as this is my first build and i havent actually over clocked before do the type of CPU's make this easier harder?

Anyway i wount be playing either of Coh or Supremem commander, Cod4 , WoW, Spore, Warhammer, Football manager, and various Steam games. They off the top of my head will be the ones i will play.

Is E0 Stepping vital to have? Its Between E8500, and E8600 i feel.

Nearly exactly £50 difference. Seeing as I'm going for a £1,000 budget would you go for the extra £50 on the better processor or on a better Graphics Card which i'm yet to choose

 

[Bradley8988]

iv just traded in my E8500 C0 for a E8600.

 

[Edward01]

Nice artical i found on performace difference between 3 ghz dual and a 2.4 ghz quad

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000942.html

 

[Phil2008]

Just shows that games are starting to use quads better. Also less load on each core equals less stress.

Looking forward to games like Alan Wake where each individual core is given a separate task if using a quad.

Alan Wake will probably benefit from quad, but most games thats out atm, are pointless taking advantage of quad cos like I said duel can run all games with ease, accept for supreme commander.

I say stick with duel for a tad longer, less heat and power.

Edit: when is Alan Wake out anyway, cos ppl have been on about Alan Wake now for a good 3+ years

 

[Kelt]

Alan Wake will probably benefit from quad, but most games thats out atm, are pointless taking advantage of quad cos like I said duel can run all games with ease, accept for supreme commander.

I say stick with duel for a tad longer, less heat and power.

Edit: when is Alan Wake out anyway, cos ppl have been on about Alan Wake now for a good 3+ years

I think it's coming out with Duke Nukem Wait Forever!

 

[tatts]

Just found a good read, a stock Q6600 is within a few FPS of a stock E8400 so in theory a 3.6Ghz Q6600 will be roughly the same as a 4.2Ghz E8400
A stock Q9450 (2.66) beats all three on every test

http://www.guru3d.com/article/cpu-scaling-in-games-with-quad-core-processors/1

Now going by them results you must be mad going for a dual over a quad even if gaming

 

[Phil2008]

Just found a good read, a stock Q6600 is within a few FPS of a stock E8400 so in theory a 3.6Ghz Q6600 will be roughly the same as a 4.2Ghz E8400
A stock Q9450 (2.66) beats all three on every test

http://www.guru3d.com/article/cpu-scaling-in-games-with-quad-core-processors/1

Now going by them results you must be mad going for a dual over a quad even if gaming

Thats if most/all games you play is true quad core, Plus even if the games you play are true quad core, the graphics card will be bottle necking cpu big time, so you have to weigh up the pros and cons for getting a quad for a gamming machine.....

 

[Kelt]

http://www.istartedsomething.com/20060928/alan-wake-vid/


This is using all four cores. One core alone for physics. One core for AI. One core for streaming. A dual core chip must surely be slower!