Which one?

[francoba22]

Hello, I am new to the forum and i want to know if there's a significative difference between:

Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66 ghz (model Q8400)

and

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 ghz (E7500)

I was wondering this because i want to buy a new PC to play games like GTA IV or FarCry 2, my "real" question is if a Core 2 Quad has a significative difference with a Core 2 Duo, because in some forums i've read that there was no REAL difference between that. Also, I've checked GTA IV requirements, and the minium requirements were a "Core 2 duo 1.8" and a "Core 2 Quad 2.4". I care about prices, so, tell me if the difference is big or if it is just a little difference.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[belial2k]

There are better options than either of those right now. But a Quad core is always going to be more versatile than a dual core. There are some games that will perform just as well with a dual core as a x3 or x4, as long as there is nothing running in the background, but having the extra cores enables you to multitask. More and more games and apps are multithreaded, so anyone looking for a gaming rig should really be looking quad core. (Preferably on a modern chipset like AM3, P55, or x58) If all you want is an internet/htpc/office PC, you can still easily get by with a dual core.

 

[dpaul8]

Here is a comparison tool that will let you see the relative performance of each of these processors in a wide variety of applications:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=108&p2=47

The bottom line is that in FarCry 2 the quad core does significantly better, but in most other applications it is a toss up.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[hunter315]

Since you intend to play GTA IV you really need a quad if you intend to get more than 40FPS on average, check out the charts on this site, an Athlon II X3 435 performs similarly to an E8500 which costs significantly more because of its extra core. While it doesnt list the Q8400 you can assume it to be a bit above the Q8200s with the E7500 below the E8400

 

[francoba22]

Thank ou guys!!!!!! Very good answers ^^ I hope to buy the quad core!