Are there practical differences between Intel core Duo and intel Core 2 duo processors?

Question

I'm trying to decide between a Macbook-pro with a intel Core duo processor (2.16 Ghz) and a DELL inspiron with an intel core 2 Duo processor (2.0 Ghz). I don't know wich one is better to buy.

Answer 1

Overall, Merom(Intel Core 2 Duo) may not be as big of an upgrade to Yonah (Intel Core Duo)as Conroe was to NetBurst, but the bottom line is that you get equal or better performance in every test without increasing cost or decreasing battery life. Owners of Core Duo laptops really have no reason to worry about upgrading for now, and waiting for the Santa Rosa platform before your next laptop upgrade seems reasonable. Those looking to purchase a new notebook on the other hand have no reason to avoid Core 2 Duo models, assuming pricing is consistent with what Intel is promising. There will be a delay of at least a few more weeks as we await availability, and testing and validation by laptop manufacturers may delay things a bit more, but within the next month or so you should be able to get a Core 2 laptop.

Answer 2

Both the Core and the Core 2 duos are dual processors.

The difference is that the Core 2 is 64 bit (vs. 32 for the Core) and that the cache for Core 2 duos 2.0 Ghz and greater is 4 MB (vs. 2 for the Core).

The Core 2 duo is supposed to be 20-30% faster than a Core duo of equivalent speed.

regards,
Philip T

Answer 3

Yes, there are differences. The Core Duo is two single processors bolted together to form a dual core processor, while the Core 2 Dual is 2 processors on the same die forming a a true dual core processor. The Core 2 will also outperform the Core Duo.

Answer 4

I believe the macbook pros are core 2 duos now as well..unless it's an older model...but yes the core duo is a single core processor and the core 2 duo is a double core processor...if you're only doing stuff like surf the internet or basic office applications then you'll not see any real difference between them so whichever is cheaper and you're more comfortable with...however, if you're using programs like 3D games, photoshop, video editing, camera capture software...most of those are multiple core/processor aware so you will see a speed increase in the core 2 duo which I feel is worth the extra cash...I would advise though if you are doing the latter and can afford it try to get as much memory as you can at least 1GB this will save some cacheing and allow your programs to run a little faster...

Answer 5

The Intel Core Duo is a Single Core CPU

The Intel Core Duo 2 is a Dual Core CPU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_2

Answer 6

The difference is not going to be enough for you to notice unless you do a lot of music, video, or picture editing, and even then it's not really noticeable. The number of songs you are storing has nothing to do with the processor. If you are concerned about storage, especially if you want to increase the amount of music you want to store and use the notebook for school, I would recommend no less than a 100GB hard drive.