Dual-Core / Quad core HELP

[sadicus]

Greetings, looking for clarification on Dual-Core / Quad core
so is Dual-Core actualy Two CPU stacked in one socket?
is this equal in speed to an Dual Processor?

This Makes sense to me: Dual AMD Athlon Processors

This i'm not sure about:
Processor Type AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 3800+ processor 2.0GHz
Processor Manufacturer AMD
Processor Installed Qty 1
Processor Max Supported Qty 1
Processor Number 3800+ "

so this states 1 processor installed, so what makes it Dual Core?

Basicaly what i'm looking for are TWO 64bit processors on one main board. (for 3D animations)

thanks for any help clearing tis matter up!

 

[Grimmy]

Are you getting confused on perhaps the AMD labeling?

The X2 is what marks that it has 2 cores (2 CPUs) in a single socket.

If you look at the boxes the colors of the boxes can help you quickly identify if its a single or dual core CPU.

The green box is dual, then the orange is single.

Edit:

On the quad, AMD doesn't have anything out yet as a single socket. But yet you can run a AMD as a quad using a MB with 2 sockets.

 

[sadicus]

thanks Grimmy,
Mostly i'm just reading stats (at DELL, or HP) the machines are already built, so no box colors to look at. Thanks for pointing out the X2 as being two processors stacked. I guess thats what im looking for. i want Two actual processors, NOT 1 CPU with Hyper threading.

 

[Grimmy]

Ahhh.. okay.

Well, this might help you see the difference a little bit better. If you read the specs on the CPU themselves, it may help you understand a bit more when you compare what your looking for in a brand name system.

Single Core:

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Orleans 2.4GHz 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail

Dual Core:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+(65W) Windsor 2.0GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail

Edit:

oh.. the die is just 2 cores, they are not exactly stacked but side by side:

 

[Scougs]

Basicaly what i'm looking for are TWO 64bit processors on one main board. (for 3D animations)

Dual core is essentially having tow CPUs in one package. You only need one slot for a dual core CPU vs. two sockets for dual processors. These days it is actually possible to have dual processors that are dual cores - 4 cores total - but this is very expensive.

Sounds to me like you want either an Athlon64 X2, a Pentium D, or a Core 2 Duo. The Pentium D is relatively old technology and uses a relatively high amount of electricity but would be on the inexpensive side if they are still available from Dell and HP. The Core 2 Duo is generally a higher performance design than the Athlon64 X2 but the prices will also be higher for the Core 2.