AMD 64x2 vs Intel Dual Core?

[redpepper]

Hi

I've just been to my local computer store and have looked at two different laptops that I like the look of. However, I'm not entirely sure that I've been given the right advice from the sales assistant. Basically the two laptops have the same spec apart from the processor (as described below):

Laptop 1 has a AMD Turion 64x2 Processor TL60 (2.0 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 1 MB Cache)

Laptop 2 has an Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor T2330
(1.60 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 1 MB Cache)

Now the sales assistant told me that Laptop 1 has twice the processing power of laptop 2 as it has 2 processors both running at 2.0GHz therefore having 4.0GHz of processing speed. Laptop 2 only has 1 processor and therefore only runs at 1.6 GHz. Therefore Laptop 1 is twice as fast as Laptop 2 and therefore as they are both the same price it makes sense that I should buy Laptop 1 as it has twice the processing speed. However, I was under the impression that an Intel Dual Core Processor meant it had twice the processing power combined into one processor i.e. 1.6GHxz x 2 = 3.2 GHz.

Has the sales assistant informed me correctly?

 

[Nexevo]

Both the AMD and Intel processors are dual core so each core will run on there rated frquencies.

AMD Core#1@2.0GHz
Core#2@2.0GHz

Intel Core#1@1.6GHz
Core#2@1.6GHz

The only difference I believe is that AMD have an L2 cache for each core, where Intel shares the L2 cache for both cores.

Intel has always been slightly higher in price than it's rival AMD which is probably why the Intel option is the same price as the AMD option which has slightly higher clock speeds.

So to answer your question the sales assistant is talking out of his behind.

 

[Mekaonija]

Yeah thats not right.

Like Nexevo said, they both have 2 cores, each of which run at their own clock speed. The AMD one for example, which is running at 2.0Ghz, you don't add both cores to find the processors speed. Their will never be a time where the processor is running at 4.0Ghz, the fastest it will process is at 2.0Ghz, where each of the core's are running at 2.0Ghz. Its like having 2 processors, both at 2.0Ghz, and they share some of the work between themselves.

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For example,

One team consists of a man that can lift 4 boxes per second, another team consists of two men who can each lift 2 boxes per second.

In one second both teams have lifted 4 boxes but which team was working faster?

Well team one was working faster. Both men on team two lifted the same amount but the work was shared between them, there was never a time that a man on team two lifted 4 boxes in one second.

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I guess you could say it's still kind of equal than because they still did the same amount of work in the same amount of time but there is still a difference. Dual cores don't always share the work evenly, usually core 0 takes most of the work for itself so a single core running at 4.0Ghz is probably faster.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Get the Intel-equipped laptop. The Turion-equipped one will put out more heat, will drain more power and performs worse than the Intel-equipped one which has the newer Merom-2M core, giving you no reason to buy it at all.