Quad and dual cores?
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:35 amIf it's a dual core and it says ' 2.5Ghz' does that mean that each core is 2.5Ghz?
However, just remember that GIGAHERTZ is just the cycles per second (frequency) - it is also what it does in each cycle that counts. That means different processor lines have different performance even if they have the same clock speed. For example, a 2.4ghz Core 2 duo is faster than a 2.8ghz Athlon x2... And a Core 2 duo at 2.4ghz, running only one of two cores, is likely twice as fast as a Pentium 4 (or Celeron) at 2.4ghz.
For your new computer I would suggest a Core 2 Q9450 or Core 2 E8300/E8400. Pentium D's may have high clock speeds, but that doesn't mean they're fast. Comparing clock speeds only works if you're comparing processors from the same line. The Pentium D is pretty much junk now, the ones I suggested are twice as fast and overclock even better.
It will add maybe a hundred dollars to your price, but Flight Simulator will run a thousand times better. You can search for Australian prices here.www.staticice.com.au
It's probably a good idea to head to TOMSHARDWARE, and looking at the processor charts to see how they compare with eachother. And google lots of reviews for the ones you find. Just rememeber that FSX is multithreaded so be sure to check if the benchmark is multithreaded or not, and decide on a dual or quad...
