Do I really need a Quad Core CPU?

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Mateous

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Jul 23, 2013
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I am making a list of hardware that I want to buy for my budget pc upgrade.
Those are my current specs:
Nvidia GT210 1GB
2GB RAM DDR2
350W PSU
Intel Celeron E3400 @2.60GHz @2.60GHz Dual-Core
And the motherboard: P5KPL-AM SE

I found a mobo and CPU combination for my budget which is £80.
The thing is that the CPU would be:

AMD Phenom II X3 710
or
AMD Athlon II X2 250
(depends on the final price)

I want to use my PC for at least low to medium settings gaming in newer games. Also game developing in Unity 3D, Photoshop CS5 and Sony Vegas 11, which lags with my current system.
Is Dual Core enough for me?
 
Solution
Sn1992-1361850
The latest 3d softwares like u use are mostly multithreaded which uses more cores
Sony vegas uses a quad core at 100% with the same job but 8350 performs the task at 50% usage
Its better and very much elementary to get a more core cpu
So for u i wud reccomend atleast 6300 or 8320 for best perfrmance in ur software
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S

SNA3

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Jul 17, 2013
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no .. you will need more cores for the software you mentioned , the more cores the better.

and you need 4G of ram at least and if you can go 8G then do it

 
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Sn1992-1361850

Sn1992-1361850

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Jul 13, 2013
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The latest 3d softwares like u use are mostly multithreaded which uses more cores
Sony vegas uses a quad core at 100% with the same job but 8350 performs the task at 50% usage
Its better and very much elementary to get a more core cpu
So for u i wud reccomend atleast 6300 or 8320 for best perfrmance in ur software
 
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Solution
swilczak

swilczak

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Dual cores just aren't great for gaming anymore with the exception of maybe a couple of the i3's, but those have 4 processing threads, so if I were you I would get more than a dual core if you want to run medium settings. I honestly don't see how you run games on a gt 210, it's not a gaming card.
 
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M

Mateous

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Jul 23, 2013
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No, I live in the UK.
Plus, my little GT210 1GB very suprisingly have not dissapointed me yet. I finished Far Cry 3 and Assassins Creed 3 on it, i do agree with what people say about it, but i think its a little unapreciated when it comes to low end gaming.
And I dont have the money for RAM right now, I'll try to get some later, except if I find a mobo with more RAM slots because I have 4x1GB memory in spare.

Right now, my budget is shamely low, £80, so I am trying to get a cheap mobo x CPU combination and that is why I was asking.
 
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swilczak

swilczak

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I agree with hafijur, the gt 210 is the most low end NVidia card from 5 generations ago so it's pointless to even try to play games on it especially far cry 3. It was made for home theatre pc video playback basically. The entry level cards start at the number 30, like gt 630 and even those are bad for gaming.
 
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M

Mateous

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Jul 23, 2013
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Well, i got about 15 fps in Far Cry 3 when recording with fraps, i also get smooth gameplay in AC3, so I dont really require much. But surely I will upgrade it. I bought a HD4870 1GB some months ago, with all the money I had for that moment. Realised then that my PSU is only 350W, so I sold the card for the same price, and decided to keep the money for a better start for upgrading, which is the mobo and the CPU as people told me.
But anyways, getting back to the point of this thread, I got the answer I was seeking for so I am choosing the Best Solution. Thank you
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Your E3400 has a passmark rating of 1451.
The amd x2 would be 1732, not much of an improvement.
AMD Phenom II X3 710 would be 2548.
A inexpensive Intel G2020 would be 2839.
But that would require a new motherboard and ram.
Your apps do have the ability to use many cores. So if that is the primary usage, why not just upgrade your current cpu to a stronger quad?
I would imagine you could find a Q6600 on ebay for not much. Passmark 2973.
A Q9550 would be 4060.
Here is a link to the cpu's that your motherboard supports:
http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/list.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=P5KPL-AM%20SE
 
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M

Mateous

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Jul 23, 2013
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I am trying to get a new mobo because the one that I possess right now is way too old. I do not believe that the CPU's supported by it would keep my pc perform well for a longer time, plus it only supports 2x2gb RAM. I literally feel like I need a fresher mobo if i want to upgrade for my College.

 
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