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Dual vs Quad?
- Thread starter Kellogz
- Start date
It's not that dual cores are better it's just with a majority of games the extra 2 cores on the quad are redundant as they are not accessed. So a higher clocked speed dual core would be faster than a lower clocked quad - but they would be on equal footing if they both had the same clock speed but the quad would have 2 cores not in use and cost significantly more.
However, more and more games are being coded to make use of quad cores (ARMA 2) - so the pendulum will eventually swing in favour of the quad. But for now, on the whole, large GHz dual core will still devour most games.
However, more and more games are being coded to make use of quad cores (ARMA 2) - so the pendulum will eventually swing in favour of the quad. But for now, on the whole, large GHz dual core will still devour most games.
Last edited:
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i would get a quad if you can afford it, AMD quads are very good for the price
I have a Quad (Q6600) but I'm not sure I'd recommend going the same way. I'm still yet to use an application that makes use of all four cores, and ARMA alone isn't worth it. Instead I'd go with a dual-core and spend the extra cash (which will be considerably) on aiming for a higher clock speed and getting a better CPU cooler for overclocking. That's what I've done with my most recent build.
I've got a Q6600 and although most of the games I play don't support multiple cores I find my computer ran a lot more smoothly at 3.5Ghz with my Q6600 than my E8500 I had at 3.8Ghz. So if you've got the extra money to spend and are looking for long term rather than short term I'd look quad.
But as others have said it all depends what you want and how much money you have to spend. As scotty said, the E2*** were create value for money.
But as others have said it all depends what you want and how much money you have to spend. As scotty said, the E2*** were create value for money.
I recently upgraded from an E6600 to a Q6700 and have clocked them both to 3.4ghz. I can't comment for every game but it made a massive difference in Dirt 2.
If you're a gamer, check if any of the game you play/or want to buy in the near future will make use of 4 cores. If they do, then Quad is the way to go.
If you're a gamer, check if any of the game you play/or want to buy in the near future will make use of 4 cores. If they do, then Quad is the way to go.
It's not so much about 2 cores vs 4 cores. As mentioned earlier it's more about clock speed for gaming. However, not all games are CPU dependent, most is about the performance of your GPU.
You should be thinking about the overclockability of the CPU, the motherboard and the parts that sits on to it ie. DDR3 rams, type of GPU and ability to use sLi/Crossfire matters more.
You should be thinking about the overclockability of the CPU, the motherboard and the parts that sits on to it ie. DDR3 rams, type of GPU and ability to use sLi/Crossfire matters more.
I currently have a Q6600 and the game i play is aion, Im usualy running Winamp and Vent in the background but i am looking for a upgrade to this, ive been looking at the phenoms as overclocking isnt something ive done and im not sure if i will start yet. The arguments for the phenom vs i5 seems to be the overlocking cappabilities which to me isnt so importaint so im leaning more too the phenoms now.
Why do you need to upgrade when you are running aion
I run Dragon age full tilt, have vent running, xfire, google chrome
Last night I was playing COH online while buffering an episode of family guy online.
The chip you have is solid.
SkodaMart
SkodaMart
Personally I have tried a Q6700 however I settled on a E8500 @ 4.0GHz (could go higher if needed) this will see me out as far as the 775 socket goes.