Dual core question

They make 2,6 Ghz each. As simple as that.

Like a motorbike with 2 wheels. Just because one wheel makes 200 mph it doesn´t mean the motorcycle runs up to 400 mph.

Two cores, running at 2.6 GHz, each one clocking at 2.6 GHz, but not necessarily making it "5.2 GHz." In the appropriate application, it'll seem as though your processor is running at 5.2 GHz because it's multithreaded and can use both cores at once. But, in most cases the chance that you'll actually find both cores being fully utilized is next to none. You might get a 30-70% improvement over the single core version, but that's about it. The only times you'll possibly see a 90-99% improvement is if you do video encoding, photoshopping, CAD, etc.

In short: 2.6 GHz Dual Core is NOT a "5.2 GHz" combined clock, but it'll seem like that in the appropriate apps.

k thanks lol.

Would the performance loss be to ram bottlenecking, or some other cause?

Which performance loss? bottlenecking of what? You didn't suggest you were seeing any slowdowns.

I spose if you were to call it a bottleneck then you could consider it to be a software bottleneck (rather than a hardware bottleneck).

Programs have to be written to take advantage of both cores. If you use a program desgined for a single core on a dual core PC, the second core on the PC will be doing nothing as the program wont be telling it to do anything.

If 'Sir Heck' (Core 1) and 'Bustedsony' (Core 2) were both sitting on the porch (CPU) drinking lemonade (idle-ing) and I told busted sony to go and juice (Run) some turnips (a Program) do you think sir heck would do anything (multi-task)? no, he would continue drinking his lemonade (idle-ing) on the porch (CPU). However if I told Sir Heck to Mix Juice from (Convert) the turnips (Same program as bustedsony is running) Then they would both be doing with work (Load Sharing) as a team (Dual Core).

LMAO

k thx lol.

Btw, i liked the story...

WRONG!

MISLEADING!

Not saying this to call you out but...please read these articles on Parallel Computing and Multiprocessing as well as Symmetric Multiprocessing.

System is still only a 2.6ghz, its just got 2 separate cores to handle apps @ 2.6ghz each. Same idea as multiple cpus only on a single chip instead. They don't combine to become a super chip or else it would only be a single cpu/core running @ a higher speed that has not yet been achieved

I wasnt necesarrily referring to the two cores becoming one super core through to combination of the two, but collectively they form a 5.2 clock.

Sry for the mixup