Dual cores? ? ?

[judder]

What is the difference between a Core Duo and a P4-dual core processor?
Is a dual core at 1.8 GHz better than a single core at 3.6 GHz?

I just don't understand why a P4 dual core 3.4GHz is £115 and a Core 2 1.86 GHz is £122 (OC prices).

Finally is the Allendale vs Conroe similar to a Celeron vs Pentium comparison?

Cheers.

 

[judder]

No I don't. I don't understand much at all really. If price is the best indicator of performance is the relationship linear? I mean is a P4 945 dual core (£115) roughly twice as good/fast (or whatever adverb I should use) as a P4 820 dual core (£65)? And does the relationship extend into comparing the Core 2 with P4?

By the way, what do you mean by 'benchmarks'?

I'm so confused. I just want a good processor (AMD or Intel) for my soon to be built PC which will be used for office work, TV, video & sound editing and very simple games. Budget isn't really a problem if I can justify the purchase, but I really don't want to make a mistake. It's so much easier with cars.

 

[judder]

That looks very helpful stuff as are the other comments above.

I still think it's easier with cars, because stats on paper are one thing, but they can be completely overwritten by a test drive, where an apparently fantastic motor can seem like a real dog and just not suit your driving methods or needs. You can't really test drive different processors quite so easily.