What CPU is better if I'm going to use Virtual Box/VM?

[vazurahan]

I plan to use Virtual Box or other VM software.

Is a CPU with DUAL CORES + Hyperthreading better than a QUAD CORE without hyperthreading?

Specifically, the following CPUs which are around my budget.

i3-3220 - Dual Core + Hyperthreading

A10-5800K - Quad Core

Which is better for VMs? A true Quad Core or Dual Core + Hyperthreading?

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The answer is really it depends. I know that doesn't help much but it really depends on the software and how many VMs you are going to be running. Hyper-threading is not anywhere close to the performance of a full core on the Intel® Core™ i3-3220 but the single core performance on the Intel Core i3-3220 is really much better than a lot of processors out there. Here are some nice benchmarks to help you see how and when these processsors excel. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/675?vs=677

 

[vazurahan]

1 or 2 Virtual Box

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

With only 1 or 2 VMs I would say that you will get the better performance from the Intel® Core™ i3-3220. If you were running four the quad would most likely be the better option.

 

[nekulturny]

I'm going to say the i3-3220 is probably going to be the better choice if strictly between the two. Although, I'd say neither are really "ideal", but I understand if budget constraints are a concern.

 

[vazurahan]

I asked because I thought there used to be a problem with Hyperthreading and it needs to be turned off when using VM. I'm not sure if that is still the case.

 

[das_stig]

I would prefer the A10, 4 real cores @ 3.8ghz v 2+2 @ 3.3ghz, overclock the A10 and give each VM a minimum of 4GB and 4GB for host OS. Yes I know the i3 at a lower clock speed can go head to head with the A10, butthe A10 I believe performs better in multi-threaded tasks, which will suit VM's.

 

[shanky887614]

better with a quad core

i tend to set up virtual machine to use 2 cores for a vm that way i can do things on host os while im playing in a vm