Quad or Dual core

[ckeen]

I am building a new rig that will be used primarily for gaming but also video and audio processing (which I guess can just go under gaming as well). I have been building systems for a while but I don't stay up to date with all the latest hardware stats.

I've heard Dual Cores have better processing for games than the Quad cores and I'd like to hear evidence or opinions on the matter because I don't really know what CPU to go with... Thank you

 

[joefriday]

Duals and quads will "process" the game equally well, you may just not have a performance increase with a quad over a dual, as it largely depends on the game's ability to offer more than two processing threads. For audio/video, typically a quadcore will be fully utilized, but this depends on the programs once again.

 

[Lee-m]

It might be worth while buying a quad core now, as we should find more and more apps and games taking advantage of more than two cores.

We've seen the benefits of AMDs tri cores over the dual ones. Also the frequency's (cpu speeds) have leveled out, as have the overclocking advantages.

unless your wanting to save money, id go for a quad now. 6 months ago I wouldn't have.

 

[ckeen]

Thanks for the feedback... Any particular CPU you can recommend in terms of best Bang4Buck?

 

[Lee-m]

the intel dual cores are the best, if you decide to go dual, but a little old now.

Id go with an AM3 AMD if you want to go with quad core, you get the best bang for buck, plus some future proofing.

 

[Helloworld_98]

what's your budget?

from your needs you'd be looking at an i7 920 build but it might be a bit expensive.

 

[Kithzaru]

I think it really comes down to the amount of money you want to spend. For a quad, the AMD Phenom 2 is really great for the price. If you want to spend more $$ then the intel i7 is better.

The Phenom 2, price considered, is really hard to beet though. There are some good comparisons on the charts here at Toms that are worth your time if you're planning to build a new rig.

 

[ckeen]

well the i7 are still upwards of 300 and that is a little out of the price range I want to go however if the step down from those are significant enough to make spending the extra cash worth while than I'd be willing to dish the extra cash.