Will intels top of the range 2.9ghz Duo CPU perform better compaired to its single core 3.6ghz for Ableton L?

Question

basically, im a bit confused, if you compair these two models which one will give me better performance when making tracks on programs like ableton live and cubase etc..

1.Intel Pentium 4 660, 3.6GHz 2MB Cache 800Mhz LGA775

or

2.Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 2.93GHz LGA775 Processor

Im making a new computer and cant decide which, im fed up with my existing computer blipping and generally struggling to cope with what i want to do with it.

Is the new duo core better than the single yet or is it in its early stages? if so is it worth while buying the single core for the fraction of the price and wait till the duo gets faster?

This is somthing that has really been nigling at me as i dont want to waste my wonga!!

Thanks

Answer 1

There's no question that the Core 2 Duo will win that contest hands down.

Previous P4 and D CPUs from Intel don't even stand a chance to even the slowest Core 2 Duo. And when it comes to AMD, even the fastest it has out currently (the Athlon 64 FX-2) loses by as much as 20% in many benchmark categories.

You can't judge the CPUs by their GHz rating anymore. The new processors from Intel pack more punch per MHz than even their AMD competitors do. A 2.4GHz Core 2 Extreme will still outperform the the P4 660.

Take a look at this article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/14/core2_duo_knocks_out_athlon_64/

Answer 2

The duo will perform better for Ableton Live since Ableton updated Live to 5.2 to take more advantage of dual core processors.

Make sure you have the latest version and buy the dual core.

You don't specify how much RAM. You'll need at least 2gb.

Also, to improve latency you might need to buy a more specialist audio card, if you don't already have one.

There are also good and cheaper Athlon CPUs on the market.

Answer 3

confident middle 2 Duo 2.4GHz middle 2 Duo. in many options middle 2 is an similar as middle: The chips are outfitted utilizing an similar production procedure and slot interior an similar sockets as middle Duo chips. putting aside middle 2 intense (a posh version of the middle 2 Duo), you gained't see many spec differences: both chips have an similar frontside bus speed of 667MHz, yet middle 2 Duo is now available at fairly swifter clock speeds (as I write this, 2.67GHz chips are available in). The frontside bus communicates between the CPU and RAM (and different elements), and it truly is a notorious performance bottleneck for pcs. The middle 2 also has an similar L2 cache that the middle has. besides the undeniable fact that, there are structure differences to the silicon that provide the middle 2 more effective state-of-the-paintings processing skills. both chips exist in pc and workstation variations.

Answer 4

the core duo processor is MUCH better than any other processor in the market
it's not all about speed
the internal design of the core duo is a really good 1, and it have a good power saving abilities
the coure duo at 2.9 is musch better then the pentum extrem edition at 3.77

Answer 5

whats easier, 2 ppl lifting 293 pounds or 1 person lifting 360, yes 2.93 is slower then 3.6 however seeing as it has a DUO CPU the DUO will compute faster then the single bc they split the workload

Answer 6

Perform a benchmark on both the CPUs. If i were you, i would download the Intel's manuals from www.intel.com and see the instructions clock cycles and latencies to see which instruction works faster on which CPU

good luck

Answer 7

the duo is supposed to be faster i can not wait until next year when amd releses the four on the floor