dual core or quad core?

[antw0788]

hey guys im building my first gaming pc getting ready before that star treck online comes out ,but to the question, i been reading online reviews about quad core cpu's and i been hearing that its a waste of money due to you dont need that much power with with these cpu's is it best to just go dual core or just buy a quad core processor any advice would help.

[maddawg138]

games dont use more than 2 cores...so unless you are a video editor, graphic designer etc.....dual core is probably the way to go when wanting a gaming PC.

But if you go quad core in a way you are future proofing your gaming rig in case there is that game out there that will utilize all the cores of a quad core.

[Geralt]

Well its not completely true. Difference is that when using 1 core processor that runs with 100% load equals 50% on each core for dual core and 25% on quad core. Its not like that when you run anything, first one or two cores are working their butts out and rest is sitting pointlessly. all cores are being stressed equally. ALWAYS.
So with a quad core the same process will use up ie. 25% of particular core power, where as in dual core will be stressed in 50%. And thats why quad cores are better in multitasking, They simply have more power to share.
BUT quad cores are always clocked lower than dual cores. same goes for OC. So either you are big into multitaskig, where you will need aditional power to distribute then go ahead with quad core. But if you are not bothered then go with dual core.

Future proofing your build is just a waste of consideration beacuse, before the technology that will allow you to fully utilize you future proof rig will be on the market your rig will be already old and you will be thinking on replacing it


............just my two cents ..........................

[maddawg138]

Well its not completely true. Difference is that when using 1 core processor that runs with 100% load equals 50% on each core for dual core and 25% on quad core. Its not like that when you run anything, first one or two cores are working their butts out and rest is sitting pointlessly. all cores are being stressed equally. ALWAYS.
So with a quad core the same process will use up ie. 25% of particular core power, where as in dual core will be stressed in 50%. And thats why quad cores are better in multitasking, They simply have more power to share.
BUT quad cores are always clocked lower than dual cores. same goes for OC. So either you are big into multitaskig, where you will need aditional power to distribute then go ahead with quad core. But if you are not bothered then go with dual core.

Future proofing your build is just a waste of consideration beacuse, before the technology that will allow you to fully utilize you future proof rig will be on the market your rig will be already old and you will be thinking on replacing it


............just my two cents ..........................

this is where you i believe you are wrong. Most games that are using multiple cores are coded in such a way that it only uses 2 of the cores not all 4. Hence why most games run better, in my opinion, on dual core than quad core machines. Unless something has changed in the last 4 or 5 months in gaming technology i am still a firm believer that dual cores are better for gaming and quad cores are better for video editing, graphic design, etc.

Also another thing is that i do have a quad core processor and i play EQ2, which is semi-multi core supported and uses all the CPU to process everything instead of on a gfx card. My 4th core runs at 100%(due to crappy coding in the game) and my 3rd core uses about 10-11%...the 1st and 2nd cores are barely even used.

[grumpydaddy]

Welcome to PureOC

My understanding of this is.......duals run cooler and so can be clocked higher if you choose the right MB ram etc to go with it. A faster processor clock results in faster games but speed (framerate) is affected most by your choice of Graphics Card. Current games are mostly not designed to run better on quads.

If you propose a budget then the guys here can advise you of some good combinations of equipment.

[antw0788]

thanks for the info guys but if better games with better graphics and higher fps come out down the road wouldint a dual core be a waste of time and money wouldint u buy a quad core just to be set for future gaming mods?

[grumpydaddy]

I kinda did that last year and bought a q6600........and now there's i7 which is a lot better so future proofing is a bit of a no win situation IMHO

[maddawg138]

pretty much did what grumpy stated....but i didnt realize that gaming wasnt as productive on quad cores as they were on dual cores. Now i7's on the other hand are the best for everything

[Geralt]

this is where you i believe you are wrong. Most games that are using multiple cores are coded in such a way that it only uses 2 of the cores not all 4. Hence why most games run better, in my opinion, on dual core than quad core machines. Unless something has changed in the last 4 or 5 months in gaming technology i am still a firm believer that dual cores are better for gaming and quad cores are better for video editing, graphic design, etc.

Also another thing is that i do have a quad core processor and i play EQ2, which is semi-multi core supported and uses all the CPU to process everything instead of on a gfx card. My 4th core runs at 100%(due to crappy coding in the game) and my 3rd core uses about 10-11%...the 1st and 2nd cores are barely even used.

TBH the way i spotted that was when i was running everest and some game. I switched on logging in everest and then i ran different games like GTA IV NFS undercover, most wanted, C&C 3, FAER 2, Mirrors edge , and it always was showing me that all 4 cores are being utilized more less equally. Thats why i stated the above. So maybe you're right but my rig doesnt know it

edit: Besides take it logically if only 1 or 2 cores would be utilized at given time , your CPU would wore down unequally, or something would have to decide when to switch over between core to use them equally which would affect performance beacue it would have to shut down first two cores and transfer all proceses onto second two. Now that doesnt seem right does it??

[maddawg138]

well EQ2 is poorly coded so that is probably why its not utilized equally. But I do see where you are coming from as well. From what people told me Dual is better for gaming but i guess it really doesnt matter too much if you can get a decent OC

[Doctor_Death]

Welcome to Pure OC ! Do yourself a favor and buy the quad core, this way you will be covered for future games. Do you have any idea what video card you will be buying ?

[Skyguy]

Quad Core is the way to go. More games are starting to be multithreaded and it'll only increase from here. Certain game engines already are able to use multicore CPUs, so any games that operate on those engines will also benefit. Unreal 3 engine is a perfect example, which is why Gears of War, Mirror's Edge, etc can now take advantage of the extra cores. I'm pretty sure Left 4 Dead is also optimized to run on more cores.

Also, keep in mind: a quad core also allows you to do more things simultaneously without your system chugging. So it's not just a question of games. For example, a Quad Core will let you play games while running a virus scan and ripping a DVD at the same time You get more done in the same amount of time. Win-win right there

[antw0788]

a doctor_death the video card i might buy is nvidia sli GeForce 9800 card low price card but good quality i was shocked on the price but yea if i run a quad core and the 9800 card i should be set.

[antw0788]

i guess quad core wins from what im hearing ill be using it for serious graphic games anyway.

[Crystal]

hey guys im building my first gaming pc getting ready before that star treck online comes out ,but to the question, i been reading online reviews about quad core cpu's and i been hearing that its a waste of money due to you dont need that much power with with these cpu's is it best to just go dual core or just buy a quad core processor any advice would help.

please tell me about more i want to know everything about this please reply to me

[xApemanx]

Here's a relevant article from Toms Hardware

How Many CPU Cores Do You Need?


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...-cpu,2280.html