Dual-core or GHZ?

Question

Which processor is better for gaming (Counter strike source is the game) Will the (Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology (2.0 ghz) do it or will the (Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 3800+ CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology) (2.4 ghz). I mostly play counter strike and it is recommended 2.4 ghz and i only use one application at a time.

Answer 1

Ive got the dual-core..it's great..i can play any game at top resolution.

Answer 2

Well, seeing as Counter Strike: Source isn't multithreaded (yet, Valve is going to update the Source engine for multicore systems) then if that's all you do on the computer, go for the faster single core.
However, if you like to listen to music while you game, or possibly talk on Ventrillo or TeamSpeak, then the dual core could be a better option as a separate processor core can take care of the voice application, letting CS:S and the voice application run faster.
If you use Fraps to record your CS:S matched, then a dual core is almost a must.
Also, as Valve is planning on updating the Source engine to support multiple cores, the X2 could be a wise investment for the future.
Another thing to keep in mind, GHz don't mean a whole lot anymore these days.

Answer 3

Time to translate all those numbers and letters for you folks. The 3800+ on the chips name is what is called the "P" rating. that means it is the same as a pentium chip running at 3800 MHZ or better " roughly equivilent to 3.6GHZ speed" the 64 means that the chip is compatable with 64 bit wide processing, instead of the 32 bit you are running with your couterstrike game. the difference is that dual core is able to use true multitasking, meaning one core of the chip works on one job while the other core works on something different. windows is by nature a pre-emptive multitasking environment. that means that the software works like a traffic cop. when you run multiple programs and applications the software alocates time to it so that the processor can be shared, wich still happens with a dual core. since your computer runs upward of 40 applications and services at all times, plus the hardware you have , dual core simply allows for more effective management. now to answer your actual question. Depending on how much RAM you have in your computer you may need the dual core processor. if you are running 2 GIGS of RAM then it really wont make any difference at all.

Answer 4

I would recommend the dual core, even though there are no games that take advantage of it yet. The reason being, if you plan to upgrade to Windows Vista, you will see a performance boost on the OS versus Windows XP, especially in gaming because of DirectX 10 (which will only be available for Vista, it will not install on any other Windows OS). Just because you say you only run one app at a time, does not mean there are not more then one running. Just bring up task manager, everything running there is a running app and you would gain from dual core just for that purpose alone.

Answer 5

GHZ will. Dual Core is meant for multi tasking so you can do two things at max CPU speed but if you only game CS and you arent doing something else which uses a lot of CPU then the 3800+ is better. It cant multi task but focuses on the one program and preforms at max.

the 3800 is 2.4 so it does one program at 2.4ghx, the 2.0 is dual core so it can multitask two things at 2.0 when the 3800 would multi task at 1.2 each. but if you only play games and dont multi task 2.4 is faster than 2.0

Either way AMD's kick **** for gaming!

I play CS too but not so much source, 1.6 is much better, check out my clan in my signature! Team ColorBlind FTW!

Sincerely,
JasonXiao
Leader/Founder of Team ColorBlind
http://coloblindcs.net

P.S. No offense knodd but that information is inaccurate. Well in this case it is but its usually right : ]

Answer 6

Dual-core all the way man! Simple bcos of the ability the dual cores ve...amazing....Its as simple as it gets...its 2 cores....which means virtually two 2Ghz processors going bang bang! at the same time....which sums up to a whopping 4Ghz compared to ur 2.4Ghz solo Pr....n also with dual core...a particular task is split n obv the access speeds to the programmes r also twice faster.... u mus keep in mind that ur windows/ or ne other OS applications run in the background...so ur processor needs to ve multitasking ability...

i can understnad if its btw QUAD core n dual core......there wudn be much diff as not many applications r designed 4 QUAD.....hence u don find ne drastic change in performance........but if its btw dual n solo......its Dual core all the way! chk it out 4 urself hehe...in any case...AMD is a behemoth wen it comes to games...:-)