Processor speed vs number of cores

elduderino260

Solid State Member
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New York
Well, my other post doesn't seem to be gathering any steam (here, if interested), so I was wondering which processor would be better: one with more cores or one with a higher processor speed. Ie: which would you prefer, a 2 core 2.5 GHz processor or 4 core 1.5 GHz processor. Thanks.
 
As always, it depends. If you tend to multi-task (doing several things at the same time that load the CPU) then more cores is better. Especially if you will be doing VM. Gamers should use at least the fastest two core CPU, with Intel hyper-threading they can afford.

So, tell us what the main use of the system will be.
 
Not a gamer. I mostly use it for surfing the web, watching movies, listening to music, and doing office work. Some of the programs I use (eg Adobe Lightroom) do require some processing power and I do a lot of multitasking.

Essentially these are the ones I am comparing:

1.) Intel Core i3-2370M 2.4GHz
2.) AMD A6-4400M Accelerated 2.7GHz up to 3.2Ghz 1MB L2 Cache Processor

If you would be willing to compare/contrast a few more

3.) AMD Quad-Core A6-3420M 1.5 GHz Processor
4.) AMD Dual-Core A4-3305M 2.5GHz/1.9GHz Processor
5.) Intel Pentium B960 2.2 GHz processor
6.) AMD Dual Core E-450 Processor 1.65GHz
 
The issue with that site is that they don't have the models that I am looking for. Although they have the i3 and the A6, they don't have the specific models...Does that matter?
 
Not a gamer. I mostly use it for surfing the web, watching movies, listening to music, and doing office work. Some of the programs I use (eg Adobe Lightroom) do require some processing power and I do a lot of multitasking.

Essentially these are the ones I am comparing:

1.) Intel Core i3-2370M 2.4GHz
2.) AMD A6-4400M Accelerated 2.7GHz up to 3.2Ghz 1MB L2 Cache Processor

If you would be willing to compare/contrast a few more

3.) AMD Quad-Core A6-3420M 1.5 GHz Processor
4.) AMD Dual-Core A4-3305M 2.5GHz/1.9GHz Processor
5.) Intel Pentium B960 2.2 GHz processor
6.) AMD Dual Core E-450 Processor 1.65GHz

Here's what I found here: PassMark - CPU Benchmarks - List of Benchmarked CPUs

Passmark Benchmarks:

1.) Intel Core i3-2370M 2.4GHz: 3028
2.) AMD A6-4400M Accelerated 2.7GHz up to 3.2Ghz 1MB L2 Cache Processor: 2192
3.) AMD Quad-Core A6-3420M 1.5 GHz Processor: 2123
4.) AMD Dual-Core A4-3305M 2.5GHz/1.9GHz Processor: 1221
5.) Intel Pentium B960 2.2 GHz processor: 2021
6.) AMD Dual Core E-450 Processor 1.65GHz: 798

Based on this. I would say that the Intel i3 would be my best bet.

P.S. What exactly is a benchmark; why is it more indicative of performance than just core number and processor speed?
 
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