which is better?

[Bubba82]

hey all i am a new guy when it comes to all this tech stuff so i had a question bout the processors.....

whats better ? a 3ghz single core processor or a 1.9 dual core processor? please tell me which is better and why? i am gonna make a list of the best quality stuff i need for a low budget gaming pc.. help a man out will ya?

 

[Andrius]

In most cases the 1.9GHz dual core (IE multithreaded applications and multitasking in general, new games take advantage of at least two cores).

Check the $500 gaming build articles for details on cheap gaming builds.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-graphic-game,1810.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-graphic-game,1907.html

 

[Bubba82]

thanks andrius

 

[dagger]

There is that, and also not all "ghz" are the same. P4 handles 2 threads per cycle per core, newer duals and quads handle 4+ per cycle per core. Add other factors like l2 cache, a newer dual, even using only one of its cores, would be far faster compared to an older single core at the same clock.

 

[Andrius]

^Word. Or two.
IIRC Core2 handles 1 thread, but upto 4 instructions per clock per core (in general it's alot more efficient than the P4). To put it short : my old Pentium D920 (2.8GHz) was owned by the E6300 (1.83GHz).

 

[mi1ez]

plus...

The dual core @ 1.9GHz can probably be overclocked very nicely indeed!

 

[mi1ez]

Which particular chips were looking at?

 

[ocguy31]

With the E7200 there is no need to own a 1.9ghz dual....unless you are going to be using a board that doesnt support 45nm.

 

[jitpublisher]

I'ts not a question about how many cores there are.
It's also not a question about how many Ghz a processor is running it. NEITHER OF THESE HAS ANY BEARING ON COMPARING THE RELATIVE SPEED OF A PROCESSOR, at least no bearing without a few details.
Sorry for shouting. You have to specify exactly WHICH processor at 3ghz you are talking about against WHICH dual core processor you are talking about. There a many design differences in today's processors and to answer your question accurately, we have to know the brand, and family of processors you are comparing to give you an informed and correct answer.

 

[Andrius]

The only single core 3.0GHz(stock) I know of is from the P4 series say a P4 631 (65nm). The only 1.9GHz(stock) dual core I know of is the AMD Athlon X2 BE-2300 1.9 GHz Processor.

If we pull a fast one on this the above statements apply in full.
But in general jitpublisher is right.

 

[mi1ez]

The only single core 3.0GHz(stock) I know of is from the P4 series say a P4 631 (65nm). The only 1.9GHz(stock) dual core I know of is the AMD Athlon X2 BE-2300 1.9 GHz Processor.

This all sounds ominous...

I hope you're wrong...

 

[Andrius]

^Do we count the E63x0 as a 1.9GHz dual core (1.866GHz)? If so I'm wrong yes.
The BE-2300 probably doesn't overclock to 3.2GHz but it still beats a 3.0GHz P4 in most multitasking scenarios and by now games too.

 

[evongugg]

Just refer to the CPU charts, keeping in mind that Intel processors overclock better than AMD processor. The e63x0 wins.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/processors/3d-studio-max-9,369.html