Is dual core worth it?

[TimidKiller]

Having been a recent AMD convert I gotta admit that intel had me spoiled with their Hyper threading that 'simulated' multi core operations. I had to switch to AMD because Intel just couldn't keep up gaming wise. I went out and bought a 4000+. While it's great for gaming, I find myself waiting more to run things on my computer. I tend to have an instant messnger open with the webcam going while downloading and a bousing ripped DVD clips but I find that I have to wait alot more for a clip to open. Now I have a 3800+(X2) @ 2.4ghz and things are MUCH more smooth. Games still run great, but multiple apps run better now as well.

 

[endyen]

An easy way to deal with the lag, is to learn how to right click progs in task manager. If you set priorities, the single core will work better.

 

[david_uk]

would the purchase of a dual-core processor justify the following usage of having all these programs running at once:

msn messenger
yahoo messenger
up to 3 chat sites running (using firefox)
a couple of other firefox windows open (for browsing)
having an average game running in the background (for playing when not chatting)
anti-spyware program running

Is this typical usage justification for getting a dual core, or a single core athlon 4000, or just more ram?

yes i forgot to add the webcam to this list of processes running lol