Should I go with a dual core or a quad core processor for my new computer?
by Guest Geek on September 6, 2009Q: I am currently in the process of building a new PC for myself. I’m starting from scratch and looking for a CPU first. I plan on using this PC for the next 3 years or so with only upgrades to the graphics cards and memory (as needed in the future).
I do plan on using this machine for gaming (but nothing else that would really strain the CPU like rendering and such). Would it be better to go with a dual core or quad core? I will be spending the money on a good motherboard and graphics card but I want to know if the quad core will really prove to be worth while.
I suggest you read our Quad Core vs Dual Core answer to get started.
matt says: on September 6, 2009 at 10:11 am
I saw the other posts, but in one the asker is specifically not gaming and the other is over a year old.
woodesage says: on September 7, 2009 at 3:48 pm
The age of the answer, in this case, does not change the answer. Most video games, as with most desktop software, are not written in such a way that they cannot take advantage of multiple processors or cores. This means that a single core, dual core, or quad core processor, all of the same speed, will run the game about the same. I say about because there are other things going on on the system but the results will be similar.
So if you are only interested in gaming then the speed is all that matters so get the fastest processor you can. It does not matter if it is dual core or quad core.
matt says: on September 7, 2009 at 3:57 pm