Dual Core, Quad Core....

[BloodDrunk]

Hello once again.

I'm in need of assistance concerning processors.

I don't know which should I get: Dual Core 3.0GHz or Quad Core 1.5GHz.
They are LGA 775 socket.

Which one is better? I really don't know that much about them, still learning. Help me before I buy shit I'll regret.

Note that Dual Core is way cheaper

If you need any additional information, ask and I shall answer.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Dual Core will likely be a lot faster than the Quad. A lot of things still load a single thread very heavily so although the quad core in theory could do more things at once, the dual core will do fewer things faster. Half the clock speed is just too much of a difference.

That is unless you plan to overclock the Quad Core from 1.5 GHz to something like 2.0 or more GHz, in which case it might start to be faster for multi-threaded processes. Chances are the dual core will still run SC2 faster than that Quad however.

As for something like WC3, the dual core will feel a lot faster than the quad since that is only single threaded.

Giving the make and generation of the processors would be a good idea. Intel processors are usually slightly slower clocked than AMD ones but make up speed through other means. Additionally the quad core might have a ton more cache than the dual core which could give it an edge for many applications.

Note that there is a good chance the quad core is more energy efficient than the dual core (if they are the same manufacturing technology node). Guess this only makes a difference if you are concerned about the environment.

 

[BloodDrunk]

So you recommend getting Dual Core over Quad Core? I don't plan on overclocking any of the processors, and play rather newer games. Would that processor be able to run Unreal Engine?
They are both Intel make. They were being produced from 2006 - 2009.

 

[Dr Super Good]

So you recommend getting Dual Core over Quad Core?

With such a high clock speed difference (double) I certainly do. More cores is not a replacement for faster clock. It only makes sense to use more cores if the clock speed is reduced by a comparatively small amount (not half).

However as I mentioned there are other metrics to processors than clock. It would be nice if you mention the model of the processor so a more in-depths comparison could be carried out. I am guessing they are both from the "Core 2" range so should probably have numbers like Q6000 or something.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

What are the exact CPU models? If you are comparing a core 2 duo to a core i5 or some other similar products, the clock speeds are completely irrelevant. Clock speeds should only be compared within the same brand, the same model and same generation of CPUs. Else, they are pointless.

 

[andreasaspenberg]

since the socket will only work with core 2 processors it is core 2 duo against core 2 quad. i suggest getting a 3 ghz quadcore as that is the best. intel core 2 quad goes up to 3 ghz and as such you can get a quad core that is as high clocked as the dual core suggested.

 

[Dr Super Good]

since the socket will only work with core 2 processors it is core 2 duo against core 2 quad. i suggest getting a 3 ghz quadcore as that is the best. intel core 2 quad goes up to 3 ghz and as such you can get a quad core that is as high clocked as the dual core suggested.

There is one problem with that. Money...

Sure a 3GHz quad core is way better than the 3 GHz dual core, however it will cost a lot more.

 

[Velmarshal]

In this case, Dual core hands down. But be warned, some applications and games may require 4 or more cores.

Though you really need to check the list of supported processors for your motherboard. LGA775 was used across several series of processors and supported both DDR2 and DDR3, so that kinda resulted in a clusterfuck.

 

[andreasaspenberg]

if you can afford it, i say go for core 2 quad 3 ghz. if money is an issue go for core 2 duo.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

I believe it would make more sense to simply get a more modern CPU and motherboard as you will notice quite the performance increase even with something as small as a core i3 4130 and if that's too much then a pentium G3258 is also not bad. If you don't mind buying AMD then the Athlon 860K is a great offer at an even lower price point.

 

[andreasaspenberg]

intel core 2 quad 3 ghz have the fastest cache around and plenty of it. modern processors have slower cache.(the higher the L number the slower it is.) it is much better than i3 though i3 is cheaper but, you need to take the main board into account plus that you need a new operating system and then it is not so cheap anymore. these days system licenses is bound to main board.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

intel core 2 quad 3 ghz have the fastest cache around and plenty of it. modern processors have slower cache.(the higher the L number the slower it is.) it is much better than i3 though i3 is cheaper but, you need to take the main board into account plus that you need a new operating system and then it is not so cheap anymore. these days system licenses is bound to main board.

No, you are very wrong.
Here is the lower tier haswell i3 - the 4160 and it's passmark score is about 1000 points over that of the core 2 quad 9550
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-4160+@+3.60GHz

and
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Quad+Q9550+@+2.83GHz

The Core 2 series has been largely replaced by the core i series with the i3 replacing the duo and the i5 replacing the quad and the i7 being geared towards people in need of better multi-threaded operation.

 

[Dr Super Good]

The Core 2 series has been largely replaced by the core i series with the i3 replacing the duo and the i5 replacing the quad and the i7 being geared towards people in need of better multi-threaded operation.

Except most of those use a different socket if I recall. I had to get a special motherboard for my first generation i7. The reason he is asking for a core 2 rather than i3/5/7 is because he is limited to one.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

Except most of those use a different socket if I recall. I had to get a special motherboard for my first generation i7. The reason he is asking for a core 2 rather than i3/5/7 is because he is limited to one.

Well, if he insists on keeping his motherboard I guess looking on ebay for a 2nd hand Q6600 or E8400 might be a good bet but I doubt he can get one new.

Honestly, H97 motherboards are pretty cheap and you can pick one up for as little as 50 euros and couple that with an i3 or i5 you are looking at about 150-250 euros (with the i3s being cheaper and the i5s being more expensive).

The only thing that also needs to be checked is RAM compatability as well as the PSU since not all older motherboards use a 24-pin main power connecter but a 20-pin. Most modern power supplies will use a 20+4-pin but still.

 

[andreasaspenberg]

even if the main board and the processor is cheap the new operating system still costs a lot. specially if the person wants the same system as already present. that could cost more.

 

[Dr Super Good]

even if the main board and the processor is cheap the new operating system still costs a lot. specially if the person wants the same system as already present. that could cost more.

He can use his existing OS licence...

 

[andreasaspenberg]

no. it is bound to main board and have been since xp.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

no. it is bound to main board and have been since xp.

Not it is not. I have reused my windows licenses before.

 

[andreasaspenberg]

then you are a hacker.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

then you are a hacker.

Ha-, What? Are you serious? You know that by reinstalling a Windows copy you payed for is not stealing as you are not installing it on 2 different PCs but simply changing the hard drive. If I needed to buy a new OS every time a hard drive failed that would make little sense. If I were to use the same OS key on 2 different machines then that's different.

 

[Dr Super Good]

There is some truth to what he says. Windows does activate based on hardware. Changing the motherboard or having a considerably different hardware spec from last boot will force a re-activation.

The activation is limited to a certain rate. For example you cannot activate Windows more than a couple of times per month before Microsoft gets suspicious and potentially blocks the activation. This is to prevent pirates from using the same key to activate millions of computers (which has been the case in places like China at some stage).

However nothing stops you from taking a generic Windows licence from one hardware configuration to another. It will need to re-activate but it will work just fine. The licence is for 1 computer to be running it at the same time so as long as you respect that you are using it properly.

The exception is OEM licences (not normal generic licences). They are in theory bound to a specific computer system (eg motherboard) as part of the OEM licence deal. Using them outside of that could be considered illegal or maybe even be impossible (activation fails). It all depends and once again I reiterate that this does not apply to standard licences.

Microsoft is not EA. Unlike EA they allow you to reinstall their products liberally as long as you respect that only 1 user (or however many you paid for) can use it at a time.

 

[andreasaspenberg]

most licenses that are sold with pcs are OEM licenses these days. each pc i have purchased since 2007 have had an OEM license.

 

[Dr Super Good]

most licenses that are sold with pcs are OEM licenses these days. each pc i have purchased since 2007 have had an OEM license.

Except if you build your own PC then it is a generic licence. For example I have a generic licence of Windows 7 64 Ultimate. Additionally each OEM has its own policies so it is possible it still may activate.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

Most people who are actually going to invest in system customization/upgrading will usually build or have someone build them their PC.

For the most part, the pre-builds will usually be rather overpriced and be very imbalanced ( i7 3770 + GT 630 + 4 GB RAM for example)

 

[andreasaspenberg]

in norway it is cheaper to buy pre-built than building as many shops get good prices.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

in norway it is cheaper to buy pre-built than building as many shops get good prices.

It's never cheaper to buy a pre-built. If stores sold pre-built PCs cheaper than what they payed for the parts they would be at a loss and if they were cheaper, that means they probably skimped out on something important like a good quality power supply or motherboard in order to seemingly have better offers. Hence why they usually offer only a 1-year warranty as they themselves don't trust the parts used whereas if you buy your parts yourself you usually get anywhere from 3 to 10 years of warranty.

 

[Dr Super Good]

It's never cheaper to buy a pre-built. If stores sold pre-built PCs cheaper than what they payed for the parts they would be at a loss and if they were cheaper, that means they probably skimped out on something important like a good quality power supply or motherboard in order to seemingly have better offers. Hence why they usually offer only a 1-year warranty as they themselves don't trust the parts used whereas if you buy your parts yourself you usually get anywhere from 3 to 10 years of warranty

They can some times sell cheaper either due to taxing laws, bulk buying of parts of even just plain old trickery. Taxing laws might mean they can save on some of the tax you would have to pay as a consumer to get the parts. Bulk buying of parts is the standard "buy x thousand and get a discount" allowing them to abuse scale to save costs. Finally they often have special OEM hardware made (due to the number of units they produce) which is cheaper and less powerful than similar named generic parts (graphic cards are well know for this). The OEM OS is also cheaper than a generic licence.

However it is also possible for you to produce something cheaper than they can. Using overclocking you can often obtain higher performance than slightly more expensive parts. Special offers or discounts reduce cost in your favour. You can also install only what you need saving cost on hardware and software you do not need.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

They can some times sell cheaper either due to taxing laws, bulk buying of parts of even just plain old trickery. Taxing laws might mean they can save on some of the tax you would have to pay as a consumer to get the parts. Bulk buying of parts is the standard "buy x thousand and get a discount" allowing them to abuse scale to save costs. Finally they often have special OEM hardware made (due to the number of units they produce) which is cheaper and less powerful than similar named generic parts (graphic cards are well know for this). The OEM OS is also cheaper than a generic licence.

However it is also possible for you to produce something cheaper than they can. Using overclocking you can often obtain higher performance than slightly more expensive parts. Special offers or discounts reduce cost in your favour. You can also install only what you need saving cost on hardware and software you do not need.

True, I did forget about bulk buying and the tax thing. I generally went based on my own experience (shops here tend to rely on not so tech savvy customers) with them selling PCs with an i5 and gt 640 for about 1k euros.

 

[andreasaspenberg]

another thing that makes building more expensive in norway is the hardware monopoly in certain cities like oslo. digital impuls have monopoly on hardware and a such they can charge more. there was a competing shop with better prices but it got trouble with stocks(not stockmarked) and then somone just closed their owner without notice.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

another thing that makes building more expensive in norway is the hardware monopoly in certain cities like oslo. digital impuls have monopoly on hardware and a such they can charge more. there was a competing shop with better prices but it got trouble with stocks(not stockmarked) and then somone just closed their owner without notice.

You could always order from the UK or Germany and get better prices. With the accessibility of products worldwide nowadays, it's not too hard to get a better price.