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Processor explanation needed please?

coopsjc21

coopsjc21

coopsjc21

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whats the difference in performance between a dual core and quad core processor? sorry im out of touch with computing at the moment.

Pete.
 
A duel core processor will generally perform better in games and make windows feel very fast and a quad is usually used in process heavy applications such as editing suites, duel for play quad for work :)
 
DF1986 said:
A duel core processor will generally perform better in games and make windows feel very fast and a quad is usually used in process heavy applications such as editing suites, duel for play quad for work :)
Click to expand...

That'll be a duel for me then ;)

Also I plan on overclocking it when I get one. I've never dabbled with this clocking business before and so will be a complete beginner when I start. Is it easy to do? Are there any decent guides about for beginners that are nice and easy to follow?
 
coopsjc21 said:
That'll be a duel for me then ;)

Also I plan on overclocking it when I get one. I've never dabbled with this clocking business before and so will be a complete beginner when I start. Is it easy to do? Are there any decent guides about for beginners that are nice and easy to follow?
Click to expand...

Yes. There's a sticky in the Overclocking subforum. ;)

Believe it or not, but Google can churn out a plethora of other guides...
 
DF1986 said:
A dual core processor will generally perform better in games and make windows feel very fast and a quad is usually used in process heavy applications such as editing suites, duel for play quad for work :)
Click to expand...

dual are recommended for games as they reach higher clock speeds when overclocked, this however is becomming a bit of a "grey" area as more games are now supporting quad core..

as for windows performance having a number of dual and quad machines on similar hardware the quads are more responsive.. however you are much better off getting enough RAM (2gig for XP min, 4gig vista min) or a decent hard disk setup if you really want to see a difference
 
I've just upgraded from a dual to a same clockspeed quad and Windows responsiveness has increased a lot, though it may just be the better motherboard. The RAM has remained the same (if anything decrease from 3.25gb to 3GB in WinXP SP3. As far as games go however performance has remained the same, no noticable improvement even in cod4 (supposedly better with multiple cores?) although css fps has gone up with a lot of bots (more cpu intensive) so its all good. We'll see how well it performs later on.

At OP, go for a dual atm. The E8400 I had was and is a very good processor. It is well priced and performs well (overclocks well too). Quads are nice, but expensive. If you play a lot of games go for a higher priced gfx card. This is advice from a Quadder ;)
 
danielanthony said:
A duel core processor is also quite mean with a sword.
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:D - I thought it was pistols...

On topic - duals are fine for most uses.

I don't see too much of a point for quads just yet in most regular situations, however duals most certainly are useful.
 
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Well if the op is a supreme commander fan and player then he will see a noticable benefit from a quad over a dual and that is one popular rts game there are more and more coming that support multiple cores that may end up performing better on quad then dual and for that reason and bearing in mind we all upgrade with the next year or so in mind if you can get a good quad within your budget i say get a quad.
 
Ok if coopsjc21 is happy with the comments so far can i just hijack this thread for a moment.
Now i totally agree with the advice that has been given in this thread and yes for coopsjc21 needs a dualie would indeed be better.

but at the time when this was posted
A duel core processor will generally perform better in games and make windows feel very fast and a quad is usually used in process heavy applications such as editing suites, duel for play quad for work :)
Click to expand...
coopsjc21 hadnt mentioned overclocking, and if he intended to run things at stock then the above statement is simply not true, as the quad and the dualie would perform at very least the same in games at the same clockspeed, and the quad would proberbly be slighty better if only due to windows taking advantage of the extra cores even if the game didnt.

Now dont get me wrong im not trying to have a go at the poster of that quote in anyway, and if this comes across like that then please accept my apologies, it just seems to me of late that the advice that has been given on numerous ocassions isnt correct, and myself I like to think that these forums generally give good advice, so I think you get my point.

anyway sorry to hijack this thread.
 
It was good advice once to recommend a dual over a quad in terms of gaming but with more and more games able to utilise multicore cpu's that advice is less sound then it once was and now even for gaming a quad is just as serious a choice as any dual.
 
coopsjc21 said:
whats the difference in performance between a dual core and quad core processor?
Click to expand...

Not trying to be a smart *** but you would have to define your personal meaning of performance

Depending on your definition the two possible answers would be

  • The Core 2 Duo is faster
  • The Core 2 Quad is faster

2vs4gq4.jpg
 
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