CPU Question - Faster Dual Core or Slower Quad Core?

**investigater** · 12-22-08, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by BrokenApe

If you want a good thing to try... the supreme commander series is optimized for multi-core vs single core so if you don't mind switching a cpus out, you can get a good idea of what sort of performance difference you could get in a game that does support that sort of thing

http://forums.gaspowered.com/viewtopic.php?t=15556

**investigater** · 12-22-08, 08:33 PM

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu...d-q6600_8.html

**SapiensErus** · 12-22-08, 08:39 PM

Yeah, in my researching this topic today I learned that Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance, is one of the few truly multithreaded games. Because it is an RTS where units at your command must behave somewhat autonomously after being ordered, it is an easy set of instructions to split up among multiple cores. Unlike most shooters where almost everything is happening in a very linear fashion based on input from the user. Good stuff...most of the parallel processes in shooters are graphical in nature and are already done by the GPU (which is a massively parallel computer in itself): Rain, snow, waves, plants moving, etc.

As I post, this appears:

Originally Posted by investigater

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu...d-q6600_8.html

Summing up the results we have just seen, I can conclude that if the gamers don’t feel like overclocking their processor, they shouldn’t go for CPUs with more than two cores...

My sentiments exactly.

**Mcstrange** · 12-22-08, 10:45 PM

I would say - go with the faster 2core chip. Why? Because once 4 cores really start to effect gaming (next year, 2 years, 3 years, whatever) the 775 socket will be old and youll need a new socket anyways, and probably want an 8 core ;p

That being said, its a toss up, faster now, VS. faster potential in the future. Either way youll be doing just fine I bet.

**RagunCajun** · 12-30-08, 01:01 PM

Single cores, quad cores, extreme cores, blondes, brunettes, redheads, what's your preference. for the money go Q9550, price is easier to live with and you'll like the performance anyway... fast, hot and cheap, like my first wife the redhead!

**Consultant** · 12-30-08, 02:17 PM

This has been an enlightening thread. I've decided to hold off a little bit but had basically decided that faster dual core was the route for me.

I could buy a cheaper one, OC it on air and see solid increases if I wanted to.

And as others have said - by the time games really embrace multi-core and could use a 4-core CPU, it would be time to upgrade again anyway...so screw it.