intel core duo?

Question

what do you guys think of the new intel core duo processors?
are they better then the intel pentium d processors? how? (the new ones got lower clockspeed, so how can they be better?)

have another question: for your computer to take advantage of the multiple cores, your software must be written to take advantage of it? so if you got normal software then its like you are running on a single core even though you are running on a multiple core?

Answer 1

John means well, but he is forgetting that Pentium D's are dual-core CPUs too. Therefore, the comparison he makes about the Core Duo using two CPUs is irrelevant.

As mathiesm said, the CPU speed is not important here. As a matter of fact, it hasn't been that important in almost 5 years. You should know that AMD Athlon 64 CPUs can outperform a Pentium 4 CPU that is clocked as much as 1GHz faster. So speed is not the only important factor, unless you are comparing to another CPU of the same brand or model.

The new Core Duo is revolutionary. Like the mobile Centrino, it was redesigned from the ground up. It also consumes as much as 40% less power as the Pentium D. Most importantly, it wins in just about every benchmark category, blowing Pentium D's and Athlon X2's off the map.

Answer 2

The clockspeed can be misleading - the Core 2 Duo platform actually has two processor cores running in the same Processing unit, meaning that you have effectively two processors running at once. This means that while you have a slower clockspeed, your processor can work on two jobs simultaneously. Add to this the increase in cache size and other efficiency benefits, and it's a pretty good bump in power.

Answer 3

The Intel Core 2 Duo processors have a lower clockspeed than Pentium D's, but do more work with each clockspeed. Think of it like propellors--you can have a small propellor that turns very fast, but a slower-turning large propellor will push just as much air.

There's a great article on the advancements of the Core 2 Duo at http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTEwNiwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

Answer 4

There are 2 processors in one though so it is much faster for multitasking programs such as multithreaded programing