I most prefer Dual Core for me because I do only one thing at a time, and generally don't listen to music that much. However, if you have three things going at the same time, Go Dual Core. It's just that simple. It should be pointed out that the Quad Core is capable of devoting two cores to the same task, if necessary, so I suppose a Quad Core would work for me. Dual Core is becoming so Pentium III, out-dated, and no longer needed.