Which processor performs better?

[icklejez]

Okay so I'm upgrading my pc and I'm not 100% on how the architecture works in quad core processors compared to dual cores.

Is it a simple case of a quad core literally multiplying the processing speed by 4 compared to 2?

Basically I have these two processors and I'd like to know which would perform better:

Dual Core

Quad Core

Also, are there specific motherboards for Quad core processors instead of the AM2 socket for generic dual core processors?

 

[nerp]

Quad can be faster or slower depending on whether the application is designed to work with multiple cores.

Many apps are single threaded, meaning that they can only use one core. In this scenario, a dual core chip with a faster clockspeed will perform better than a quad with a lower clockspeed since each would only be able to devote one core for that app.

Multithreaded apps, you'll see a significant improvement going from dual to quad unless it's a situation in which the dual core chip is clocked much higher than the quad and the multithreaded optimizations aren't too great.

Additional cores isn't about multpliying "speed" by any means. Speed is a relative term. More cores simply gives you more cores to work with. It's up to the applications to take advantage of the extra resource available to them.

It's only now that games and the bulk of common apps out there are really taking advantage of dual cores, so in many cases, using a quad could be a step down in terms of performance. But if you're doing a lot of web development, graphics or design or any task that requires signficant crunching, the more cores the better. In some apps, having four slower cores is better than two faster ones.

If you're using a phenom or a quad opteron, you should make sure it's an AM2+ board and check with the manufacturer for compatibilty. Some AM2 boards have decent Phenom or Quad Opty support after a bios update but others don't. I highly recommend making sure that the motherboard is explicitly supporting the Phenom before using it.

 

[Arkaign]

Do you have a new board? Unless you're recycling an AM2 rig, there's no reason to buy either of those procs.

Get :

Q6600 + OC
E8400
Q9450

^^^ win/win/win

 

[icklejez]

Cheers for that, I'm just going to have to flip a coin, I could look to the future or just settle for an easy fix now where I dont have to worry about what supports what.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: icklejez
Okay so I'm upgrading my pc and I'm not 100% on how the architecture works in quad core processors compared to dual cores.

Is it a simple case of a quad core literally multiplying the processing speed by 4 compared to 2?

Basically I have these two processors and I'd like to know which would perform better:

Dual Core

Quad Core

Also, are there specific motherboards for Quad core processors instead of the AM2 socket for generic dual core processors?

AM2+ mobos have 200%+ HT bus thruput.

There are very, very few software apps that run multiple threads in parallel to take advantage of 2 cores - much less 4 cores.

Two notable exceptions - Adobe Premiere & MS Flight Simulator X will peg 4 cores @ 100%

Performance 'gains' from a dual core are primarily due to 'load-balancing' across the cores. WinV seems to do a little better at load-balancing than WinXP, but nothing to really write home about.

Originally posted by: icklejez
Cheers for that, I'm just going to have to flip a coin, I could look to the future or just settle for an easy fix now where I dont have to worry about what supports what.

Good plan.

Spending $100 (or 50 pounds) will give you a high quality highly-capable cpu. Stay away from the 'high-end' and 'enthusiast' unless needed for a specific purpose. This AMD Black Edition Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Socket AM2 would be an excellent option for you ...

 

[hennethannun]

Hold on there OP, you may want to go into a bit more depth with this whole process.

You list two processors as your main points of comparision (an X2 6400+ and a Phenom 9500), but there's a lot more to consider about those two processors. the X2 is a K8 architechture. It's design is no several years old and it is based on a 90nm process. the Phenom core is AMDs newest architechture (K10 i think, since they skipped the obviously unusable K9 moniker). It is built on a 65nm process and is theoretically 10-20% faster clock for clock than K8 processors. It also makes use of the new SSE 4 instruction set and contains the TLC errata (not likely to be a problem for most users, but worth keeping in mind). This is really an apples to oranges comparison, even though they theoretically do use the same motherboards.

Also, do you already have an AM2 motherboard? If not, why are you not considering Intel processors? In that price range ($175+ USD) Intel products generally offer more performance/dollar and more overclocking headroom to boot.

Finally, what do you intend to do with this new computer. the advantages of dual-core versus quad-core largely depends on what you do with that computer. the majority of software (including most games) does not take advantage of 4 cores, and therefore benefits from a higher speed dual-core processor. However, certain activities such as video encoding can see massive benefits from 2 extra cores (80% or more).
On the other hand, quad core processors generate more heat and use more energy than dual core, so running them for 1 or 2 years can be noticeably more expensive.

This is a question that does not have simple, black and white answer. So without knowing more about your specific needs and circumstances it is hard to point you in the right direction.