is a 1.82 ghz dual core procersser better then a single 3.2?

Answer 1

It depends.

Consider a single stream of data and instructions flowing into a CPU. Then the single 3.2 ghz processor will shoot out data at 3.2 ghz. If you send the same single stream of data to the dual core, it will only use one core and spit things out at 1.82 ghz. In such an instance, it will be slower.

Now consider two streams of data and instructions flowing into the CPU. The single 3.2 ghz processor will still shoot out data at 3.2 ghz but will have to take turns processing each stream in some fashion. However, send the same two streams to a dual core and both streams will be processed simultaneously, theoretically shoooing out data at a combined speed of 3.64 ghz, which would be faster.

In the end, I think the dual core u have there is better than the single.
Under most typical circumstances, your CPU will be multi-tasking because maybe you're playing that game while downloading that movie, while playing that music, while working on some complex calculation heavy spreadsheet while etc. so a dual core processor is usually better.

The new Dual 2 Cores have other benefits besides greater speeds. They also run cooler and require less power, which means quieter fans and energy savings for enterprises that use many of these machines.

Answer 2

If it's the latest Core 2 Duo, then probably. You can never say for sure, because there are so many factors that can effect processor performance, but the new dual cores have many other features that make up for their lack of clock speed.

Answer 3

It depends. A dual core processor can compute more than one item at a time. Your 3.2 could be hyperthreading which allows it to split time between two computations "rilly fast." SO, depending on the particular task on hand, either one might be faster.

Answer 4

Yes, but one point in mind: the software must know to take advantage of the second core to get the benefit, otherwise it'll actually be slower; the relationship is kinda like Pentium(original) versus Pentium Pro..

Answer 5

the 1.83ghz will be faster with multi-threaded applications