Dual Core CPU's ?

Question

Is a Dual Core CPU at 1.80 GHz better than a Single 1.86GHz or even a single at 2.0GHz ? Might be a dumb question but I'm confused on the whole Dual Core other than the obvious of it having two CPU's.

Answer 1

Probably, it depends on what you're going to do.

If you want to run multiple programs at once or a multi-threaded program (there aren't that many but they do exist) then dual core can give you about 180% of the performance of a single core (there is some overhead so it isn't double).

But if you only one one program at a time and don't use any multi-threaded software then you won't really notice any improvement with dual core.

Dual Core systems tend to be a bit more responsive because the OS can use one core while an application uses the other and considering the cost they are worth having even if you don't really need it.

There is also the fact that some processors are more efficient than others, such that a Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz will probably beat a Pentium M 2.0 GHz on single threaded tasks (i.e. tasks that don't use the second core).

On multi-threaded tasks there's no contest, dual core wins.

Answer 2

Having a dual core cpu is much better than working on a single one.

When a single one is present, even for a simple task like opening a notepad or editing a document or playing a song will be using the entire CPU at any given time.

But, in dual core, the CPU calculates how much processing power is required and sets the cores into motion. If any task requires a less amount of CPU, one core works while the other waits patiently for ur another task.

hope u understood.

Answer 3

It's not a dumb question just a tricky one to answer because it's one of those "it depends" ones. The short answer is dual cores mean nothing if you aren't doing anything with the second core. Right now there is very little software that really uses the second core on a personal computer (servers are different).

Eventually, someone will release a killer app that uses dual cores but that has not happened yet. From a sheer speed and performance standpoint a single core 3.4 with 2 gigs of ram will run rings around most dual cores.

Answer 4

Yes it's better. Think of it this way...If you have a factory with 1 person who can pack 100 boxes a day and another factory with 2 people who can pack 100 boxes each person, then the factory with 2 people will be more productive then the factory with 1 person.

Also the factory with 2 people are able to pack much larger boxes.

Answer 5

A dual type processor is even faster than a single processor running at twice the speed of the dual core processor.

Some models of dual or multiple processors are much faster than other dual processor models or brands when run at clock speed.

The only way to get an accurate comparison is to refer to the tables below.

CPU gaming performance charts:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html

CPU Benchmarks
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/index.php

My opinion for a new computer processor to run Vista:
For non gaming Rendering Time of 1:59 or less
For gaming Rendering Time of 1:33 or less (1.20 or less preferred)
Refer to:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html
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My opinion for a new video card:
For playing the latest games a FRAPS (frames per second) of 50 or higher
For moderate games a FRAPS of 30 or more.
For no games a FRAPS of 18
Refer to:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
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To determine Graphics Cards relative performance refer to the charts below.

Graphics card gaming performance charts:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=399&type=expert&pid=1
http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1595&Itemid=40&limit=1&limitstart=2

Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

How to pick the perfect graphics card
http://www.pcmag.co.uk/personal-computer-world/features/2150316/pick-perfect-graphics-card

DirectX 9 vs 10
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pcs/directx-9-vs-directx-10-worth-upgrading-to-vista-for-243099.php