Any dual core cpu will be adaquate for Win7, simple Word/Excel, and web browsing?

[JEDI]

as long as you have 4gigs ram?

ie: Dual core atoms?
dual core chromebook??

 

[Cerb]

Adequate, yes.
Preferable, no.

Also, TMK, Windows on a Chromebook lacks too much to be worth using, such as the native keyboard and trackpad. You'll need to find a similar-spec native-Windows notebook.

 

[Virgorising]

I guess, not so much re lappys, but my now backup Desktop, P D 3.40, Presler with 3 GBs of DDR2 runs W7 32-bit better than it even did XP.

 

[escrow4]

No. I put quads minimum in all my boxes now by default. I build my PCs to last, and to be as versatile as possible.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The older Atom dual-core in my old music jukebox PC was slow enough to notice the speed and be annoyed by it. The new Atoms used in the Windows 8.x tablets are supposedly much better.

A core 2 duo would be much better than the old atom. My newer ivy bridge i3-2100 dual-core music jukebox works great. I'd be fine with using it as a work PC.

 

[Cerb]

Since we have in-order sub-2GHz duallies, now...

An old Atom should be avoided at all costs.

A new Atom (Bay Trail), or new Jaguar-based AMD (Kabini), are fine, but not ideal. Both are just shy of Athlon64 IPC. Neither can, for instance, decode HD h.264 video in software. AMD's has vastly superior IGP, while the new Atoms have slightly faster CPUs (only noticeable in benchmarks), and use much less active power (other components use enough power that idle differences are fairly small). But, you can find both in netbook-sized notebooks, for about $300-350, typically, giving you the size and battery life of an Ultrabook, but without the performance or price tag.

SB and IB Celerons and Pentiums are pretty good, and for mobile use, Haswells pretty awesome, on the cheap. But, they're only awesome in the sense that you're getting a lot for your money. An i3/i5/i7 (only Q-model mobile i7s are quads) will be quite superior. $400-450 gets you into newer Celerons and Pentiums, which blow away the Bay Trail and Kabini processors.

If you want to scour for used and refub units, you can get some of those $400 Windows notebooks, with SB, IB, and Haswell CPUs, at Chromebook prices.

 

[DaveSimmons]

For off-lease with a good warranty, try Dell: http://www.dfsdirectsales.com/

~$280 for core 2 duo, ~$340 for i3 or i5 (at time of posting, i5 stock is cheaper than i3)

 

[mvbighead]

Any? Well, no, not really. But most should be adequate. I'd still shoot for C2D minimum.

As for the quad or nothing else guy... that's nice. But many people don't need that. I am not one of those people, but many people are just fine with 2 decent cores.

 

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834314055

This is a steal. Check that one out.