Dual Core Processor Question.?

Question

I just purchased 1.7 dual processor computer... So is that equivalent to a 3.4ghz single processor? Also why is the Dual Core so much better "as i was told"?


Thanks

Answer 1

Let me see if I can handle this adequately. The short answer to is your processor virtually a 3.4ghz single core processor is no.

A single 3.4ghz processor designed to the same specifications as your chip is going to process single threaded applications faster than your processor will. However, your chip will eat a single core chip alive when it comes to multi tasking. Plus a 1.7 ghz core 2 duo chip is much faster than a 3.4 ghz Pentium 4 chip because it has 4 times the on chip cache and double the front side bus. Now this may sound like a whole lot of technical mumbo jumbo to you but essentially what it means is, over the past few years, the architecture of microprocessors has improved in leaps and bounds. (it always does) Engineers have found ways to make processors work better at lower clock speeds thereby conserving energy and saving your batteries (and our planets) life.

The Dual Core is so much better because you basically have 2 CPU's working at once. If one of your cores is working on your normal tasks, web browsing, games, movies, music, then the other one can be working on background tasks, like security, anti virus, windows updates, etc. All with out causing that annoying slowdown or even lock up that we have all seen so frequently in the past. Truly, Intel's slogan is correct; "Dual Core, do more."

In the end, if you had a Core 2 processor with only 1 core clocked at 3.4ghz it would out perform your core 2 duo with 2 cores on certain tasks like most current games, and it would probably encode video a little faster (depending on the application) but your processor would blow it away in terms of multi tasking.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

As the name suggests, the core is dual- two. that is you are actually running two things simultaneously. unlike in a regular single core processor.

now it may seem that you can run two different programs on a single core processor, but that is not multi tasking. the processor gives the user a feeling of multitasking. what it does is, it creates "interrupts" that is, all running applications are given a small slice of the processors time which is usually in nano-seconds, but this happens so fast that, to the human eyes, everything is running at the same time.

but in a dual core processor, there are actually two cores, which actually can run processes simultaneouly, rather than just mimicing simultaneous processes.

also another great advantage, specially in laptops is that dual core can save battery power. it is more energy efficient.

Answer 3

No not equivalent, in fact not by a long shot.

Think of a 2-lane road way as a dual core. One-lane higher speed limit as a single core.

Would it not better to have two heads rather than one?

Answer 4

From my information it's not the equivilant of 3.4. That its about the same as a 2.0-2.2 Both processors work at the 1.7 ghz speed. Sorry.. I hope this helps you though.

Answer 5

ITS NOT FAST, I MEAN ITS FAST BUT,
IT CAN JUST HANDEL MORE.