Core2duo and core2 quad

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Sort by date Sort by votes
You'll need to be more specific than that... The answer is, it depends. A dual-core with high clocks speeds will perform better for apps that don't support multi-treading properly, including most games. A quad-core will sometimes lag behind in a dual in single-threaded apps, but kicks butt when it comes to multitasking and productivity.

So, what's your budget, and what are you planning to do with the system?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There are other tradeoffs- the quad is more expensive, puts out more heat, and at least in the case of the core2 processors the quad probably won't overclock quite as well as the dual core. Lots of games have been benchmarked just fine with a dual core processor. The main benefit of a quad core is in video processing, but games are slowly catching up to the multithreaded technology. You can find older articles on Tom's that show their tests of dual core vs. quad core processors.

In gaming you can sometimes do better by getting a good but not the best cpu and then taking that money savings and buying a better GPU. If your budget is constrained then a 2.93GHz dual core is a good starting point.

In the new "i" series processors, the quad cores overclock very well, so that's the way to go if you can afford it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
^cadder explains it well also. Beat me to the punch.

Hi eldridgeluke, I am going to try to clear things up:

Core2duo(higer clock) > Core2 Quad(lower clock) = When gaming or using single threaded apps.

Core2duo(higer clock) < Core2 Quad(lower clock) = When multitasking or using multi-threaded apps.

To get good all around balance a Core2 Quad(higer clock) = All aroung good performance.

Hope that simplifies it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
IMO more cores the better
The q8400 is only 430 mhz slower which is really not a big difference.
The extra 2 cores is a big difference.
Having 4 cores is more "future proof".
Later on after much studying you can learn to OC the q8400 if it is not an OEM system (HP,Dell etc) and easily make up the difference.
Also each one will easily meet system requirements for any game out there (Heck most games can run on a P4 3.0 or higher) so the video card will make the most difference gaming.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote

I second that, I am running a P4 3.4GHz and I can play Crysis(medium some high w/AA settings), Far Cry 2, and L4D 1&2 @ 1920x1080 all day long. And thats on a 4000 series GPU.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Sweet. I run a Dual 3.2 P4 based rig with a 7600gs oc'd like crazy.
I can play Crysis Warhead on low settings,Far Cry 2 at medium settings and L4D 2 at 1920x1080 also.
It is funny you mentioned those games.
I am fine with lower settings and alot of people new to computers on this forum would think you need at least a Core I3 with a HD 5000 or a 460 to game and it is not true.
Obviously if you want to max every setting then you need a crazy system but new games are still playable on low settings on older tech.
The OP should go with the Q8400. In the long run it will be a better choice.
With a good video card it would be a nice setup for quite awhile.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote

Yep, I got a 10% OC on my CPU, RAM and GPU. I am always amazed when people complain that thier 2 year old PC and say it cannot play games at all and I wonder what the heck is going on :lol: My PC is going on 5yrs next month and I am doing just fine still.

Sorry about straying from the topic. :??:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
We strayed off topic but goes to prove that 453 mhz difference between the Q8400 and E7500 really wont matter for gaming while having two more cores will be a world of difference.
If the OS takes advantage of 4 cores it will use it. XP Pro Vista Ultimate will use all 4 cores so the OS will run better.
If a game is designed for two cores then using task manager or SeeSaw you can assign the games affinity to 2 cores and still have two other cores for something else.
I have played L4D 2 while encoding a 800mb avi file with DVD Flick at the same time.
More cores are better if the speed difference between cores is minimal (less than 1ghz).
With more and more multi core systems more software is being written for multi-threaded optimization and I can only see the trend getting bigger.
There is a roughly a 4-5ghz speed barrier with processors due to TDP and heat so to overcome this more cores are utilized to increase processing power.
It takes awhile for software delevopers to catch up to hardware but they always do.
Most serious software (business oriented) like photoshop,maya,autocad,VM software, etc all will take advantage of as many cores as can be thrown at them.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
going through your posts, it more likely that i will get a quad , as i will most likely need it for school work in the coming years and will most likely multitask my way through college >.<

and for my gaming purposes, u guys stated to use a good GPU right, im planning on getting GTS250 512MB DDR3 256bit, is this good enough?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
im on a tight budget... i mean.. really tight..

like on a 350-400$ budget.. 400$ is really like stretched out..

im living in The Philippines and not all of your said brands are available here (i think)

uhmm... my build would be like this..

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5Ghz
Asus P5G41CM-LX Intel G41/ DDR3
2gb ddr3 RAM
250gb HDD
GTS250 512MB DDR3 256bit

aint this good enough for what i would be building it to do?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
seems likely, but to answer his question, imma get a GTS 250 stated above..

i have a windows xp OS here.. seems like im not going to need a nother 2gb ram but if i really need to , ill get another 2gb, i think the mobo has 2 ram slots

im gonna get a 600w PSU, is that enough?

so my parts are ok for its purpose?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Phillipines - you could look into a new AMD build with $350 instad of buying buying hardware thas going to last you a brief moment....

nothing wrong with going C2D/C2Q but i've learn't on Tom's that it stresses your wallet to buy aging hardware thinking that its cheaper cos its old.

Run your school work off an IGPU (integrated GPU) - when you have some cash saved up splash it on your grafix card...i'm sure prices will drop for the 5 series Ati when ATi's 6900's come out. I used my DG965RY's IGPU for most of my CAD/Presentations and waited just under a month to buy an 8600GT DDR3 256MB Fatal1ty edition. I could've gone for a card while i bought my rig altogether...but the 8600GT was soooo much sweeeter!

For now get all thas been stated even the PSU, leave the GPU out for the time being until your piggy swells up :)

BTW, a 600~700W PSU will help the OP achieve space for future upgrades/swaps -e'g better GPU/CPU/Mobo combo's
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Since he is using XP 2gb is fine.
I use 2gb on 32bit xp and rarely drop below 1gb free.
XP is optimal on 1gb and higher
Vista needs at least 2gb mainly because of superfetch.
OP will be fine on 2gb for now and can upgrade later especially if they upgrade OS.
The only thing is they have only 2 slots then he would be paying twice...
2x1gb then later 2x2gb so in the long run it would cost more
Though he could offset cost by selling off old 2x1gb sticks.
Short term budget vs long term budget
unless he did 1x2gb for now
IMO with his budget he is better off with a AMD build
Better bang for buck
C2Qs are overpriced new
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I know
Who are you Mike Tyson?
You might not get that reference you are younger
Tyson would knock guys out first round back in the day
Pay $50 pay per view for a 92 second fight
When and how much did you get your Q9550 for?
Nice build I am jealous in a good way
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I know
Who are you Mike Tyson?
You might not get that reference you are younger
Tyson would knock guys out first round back in the day
Pay $50 pay per view for a 92 second fight
Click to expand...

cheers mate!

hahaha 😀 another post to stray off the OP 😀

The rigs almost a year old. Bought the Q9550 for $280 (about 1.5yrs earlier) then the rest came altogether. I was in a dilema - either the config you see now, or an i7-which would've broken my bones to pay for 😛

Using it for gaming, rendering and photoshop work...please note, i recently got an H50 and modded it with dual rad to cool my CPU and NB and OC'd it to 3.2GHz. I can post its link if you wanna see :) though i wouldn't want to hijack this thread :??:

I also noticed your 7600GS OC - awesome OC, did you get an aftermarket cooler for it?

Here's my second build : (officially my 5th)

Intel i5-750 @ 2.8GHz for now
Asus Maximus III Formula
OCZ 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 XMP Edition
2x500GB Samsung in Raid 1
HP litescribe Dvd writer
Corsair H50 w push/pull config
Tt Armor Jr (its lasted me 5 builds)
Samsung P2250
Pioneer HTS GS-1
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
nice second build
The 7600gs oc is with a pci cooler exhausting and pci case fan intaking.
Also chopped the front of my case and added a hooded intake.
Also used my second cd bay and made my own intake there
there is a total of 9 fans counting psu,gpu fans
At least I can rent it out as a wind tunnel if i need the money LOL
As far the OP one of the AMD experts should come up with a nice Phenom II x 4 build
945 Black? Just a guess I don't know much about newer tech especially AMD
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
@ OP - malmental 's post ^^ there you have it, the AMD build is better on the pocket.

I don't think he'd need a hexacore. The $385 is a good buy but adding the HDD, ODD and the monitor - it goes up again. Actually staying lower than an i5 build.

@king SMP - so your into modding huh, i did that a long time ago. back when i had an E4300. A hexacore would be overkill for school work. A review/test carried out here on Tom's suggested that getting a quad core is actually a waste of money,as games and most applications need an average of 3 cores to operate. Hey that's an idea...look for a AMD phenom x3 build and he's set for some time to come! Wind tunnel huh, i think i could have it test my air airports windflow design 😛 :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
# AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT55TFBGRBOX
# ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
# Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 Desktop Memory Model KHX8500D2K2/4G
# COOLER MASTER Elite 310 RC-310-BKR2-GP Black with blue front panel Steel Body / ABS plastic front bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer ...
# Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
# LG DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH24NS50
$442.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.549114

# AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
# MSI 890GXM-G65 AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
# Kingston ValueRAM 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3K2/4GR
# HEC 6K60BSX585 Black / Silver 0.8mm SECC Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 585W Power Supply
$385.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.514056

# Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80605I5760
# GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
# Antec Dark Fleet DF-10 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$368.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.540799
Click to expand...

^1 for 955BE build Best Bang for Buck to my amateur eyes
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


We have been straying off topic.
To answer his question.
YES!
That build can pretty much handle anything you can throw at it.
You could game and same time run other apps easily.
If that build along with a decent case and psu is within budget go for it.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom