Dual core vs Triple Core...I'm confused

[GVSS]

So I'm trying to upgrade my pc and was looking at an E6300 from intel, but as I was looking around on newegg i came across an AMD Phenom 8750 triple core and an 9600 quad core.

will the extra cores make up for the slower clock speeds (2.8 intel vs 2.4 amd) and will the tqo extra cores of the 9600 make up for the even slower clock speed (2.8 intel vs 2.3 amd)

been out of the pc hardware world for a couple years and things seems to have changed a lot.

I'm not a gamers but i do use adobe creative suite quite a bit and burn movies often.

thanks in advance for the help

 

[Grantofhell]

More cores - more performance (IF the program can support multithreading) And it should, yes. A 2.8GHz dual core will be outperformed by a 2.3GHz quad. But there are also other factors you want to consider. The front side bus, the L2/L3 cache size, and the archtecture (45nm/65nm).

The Q6600 and Q6700 are very cheap now and are great for editing. They come stock with a 1066MHz FSB and an 8Mb L2 cache. The Q8200, Q8300, and Q8400's are also great for mainstream and editing PC's. The Q8/9 series come stock with a 1333MHz FSB and 45nm and and the Q8 series features a 4Mb L2 while the Q9 features 6/12 Mb L2 caches.

 

[worshipme]

IMO, this depends entirely on what platform you are currently running. If you are running LGA775, the most sensible choice would be simply to upgrade to a CPU using the same socekt, rather than replacing the motherboard at the same time. The same rules apply if you're running AM2/AM2+ etc.

 

[GVSS]

Originally posted by Grantofhell
More cores - more performance (IF the program can support multithreading)

If the operating system doesn't support multiple cores, won't all the other programs I use also not support multiple cores?

I'm running windows XP right now, but will probably upgrade to windows 7 when it is released.

Originally posted by worshipme
If you are running LGA775, the most sensible choice would be simply to upgrade to a CPU using the same socekt, rather than replacing the motherboard at the same time.

Well my mobo just died, so thats why i was looking at amd and intel. I have a pentium D820 (LGA 775), but it has always run very hot even without overclocking, so thats why I was looking at a new processor.

I do want to use the memory that i currently have (ddr2 667) in my new board, and I'm on a budget so, I'd like to not spend over $100 (on the processor).

I was happy with the performance of my old computer for my needs, but I figured that there are probably better processors that what I had in the price range I'm trying to stay within.

If there are any other suggestions, I am open to hearing them.

thanks again

 

[jikifreak]

The nice thing about AMD is the cost. A LOT less than Intel and they are GREAT performers! I love my Phenom II X4 940 at 3ghz! Awesome performance and only 189.99!

 

[rhinolax25]

Read this, it really helped me in choosing my AMD Phenom II X3 720

How Many CPU Cores Do You Need?


The Triple core seems the be the best bang for the buck if you dont have that extra $50-$100 to spend.

 

[ibangyetis]

The nice thing about AMD is the cost. A LOT less than Intel and they are GREAT performers! I love my Phenom II X4 940 at 3ghz! Awesome performance and only 189.99!

are you saying your computer was only $189.99?
and if so, where did you buy it?

 

[Whyfly??]

are you saying your computer was only $189.99?
and if so, where did you buy it?

His processor was 189.99
The price has gone down, but here is the processor.

 

[MooseMan1]

I have been told that generally AMD processors are better for budget builds, but I would much prefer going with an Intel processor. consider the core 2 duos. There are certain models, i forgot which, that are amazing overclockers that you can get a whole lot of bang for your buck out of.

 

[jikifreak]

are you saying your computer was only $189.99?
and if so, where did you buy it?

Just the AMD processor was 189.99 but I did get my complete build for really low cost!

AMD Phenom II X4 940---189.99
22 inch Asus 1080p LCD Widescreen---99.99 ON SALE!!!!
Rosewill Conqueror---69.99
ASRock A780GXE---89.99
Zalman CNPS9900HSF---69.99
8GB G.Skill 1066 DDR2---79.99
OCZ StealthXStream 700W---79.99
GeForce 9800GTX+---139.99
16X Samsung DVD-RW---22.99
360GB Western Digital SATA---49.99
500GB External hard Drive---79.99
160 Western Digital Hard drive---39.99

Total---1012.88 NO TAX free shipping

If I went Intel, it would have been well over 1200

My i7 build, which has an i7 920, cost 1633.96 free shipping @_@