Dual Core help!

[Cyber]

hi guys i juts bought a centrino duo laptop... its at 1.6ghz... but it out performs my p4 2.66 (tho i have 2gb of ram on my laptop)... but i was wondering how does dual core works... i mean i know how it works but how do they determine the speed... mine is 1.6ghz ... so does that mean both of the cores run at 1.6ghz meaing a total of 3.2 or does one core run at 800mhz and a total of 1.6ghz for both...

thanks in advence
Cyber

 

[MetalX]

It happens because Core Duos (the processor that Centrino Duo is based around) are much more efficient than P4s. Just like Core 2 Duos are much better than anything else, Core Duos are basically slightly slower Core 2s.

 

[Cyber]

oh kk thanks for the reply MetalX

but i wanted to know how both of the cores work... does each run at 1.6 or at 800mhz...

thanks in advance
Cyber

 

[Dood]

yup. the idea is that you have a real processor and a virtual one working in the same time(or something like that),giving you the opportunity to work with more programs faster and far more efficient.However,don`t forget that system memory is way to important to be left behind,so a duo core + at least 1.5 gygs of ddr(at least 533 mhz) would keep you and your gaming urges satisfied. Oh,don`t forget a video card of at least 256 mb...and if possible,at least 256 bits

 

[Didou]

the idea is that you have a real processor and a virtual one working in the same time

That's HyperThreading, that's not a dual-core CPUs which has two physical CPUs in the same package.

 

[Dood]

Right. I was thinking about the intel 4 cores, 2 real and two virtual ones(the hot new stuff which they OC`ed at 5.2 Ghz!!!! -> each processor at 2.6) ,my bad. However,the idea is the same,Core Duo outperforms the other processors,period. You`ll definitely see it works faster than plain processors,but still,the biggest visible difference is not on a mobile technology,but on a desktop designed for gaming purposes,while listening to music,running full system scan and crap like that. Definitely the core duo is a good choice,(i have an Hp nx9420) but my Amd athlon 64 3000+ makes me happy also , and the 64 bit processor is outstanding on the win64 edition.