explain dual core processors to me

Bone

ok, i have a question that shouldn't be to hard to answer. When I read on game packages and it says it reccomends a dual core 3.5 ghz. does that mean that the processor is rated at 3.5

what i mean is that i got a intel dual core 7200 and its 2.00ghz... but is it really 4 cause its dual core/ cause I have not even seen a dual core at 3.5ghz

Sledgehammer70

what package are you reading? I haven't heard of any program or game spec out a 3.5GHz anything...

Dual core means you have 2 cores running at 2.0GHz you don't combine the 2 as most often your CPU is only using one core in games unless it is a multi threaded game. Only than will it make use of the 2nd core.

Bone

so if I play a game that is not multithreaded and it requires a 2.5ghz processor, am i ****ed over?

Leonardo

No, not at all. The dual core processors that both AMD and Intel produce are very efficient compared to old Pentium 4 or Athlon XP. You really can't compare lower clocked dual cores with the higher clocked, single core CPUs of yesteryear. If you do have some software that requires X.ZMHz, specified in the documentation, then yes, that would apply for a single core Pentium 4 CPU.

if I play a game that is not multithreaded and it requires a 2.5ghz processor

Is that hypothetical or actual?

When I read on game packages and it says it reccomends a dual core 3.5 ghz

Hypothetical or actual? If that is actual, it must be a two year-old boxed game.

Bone

thier both actual, I forget what game it was but it was in my pc gamer and it reccomended a dual core 3.5 ghz than does that mean that my

intel core duo 7200 which is 2.00 ghz not up to the recommended... or would it be, im confused on that aspect

fatcat

Dual Cores

RWB

The problem it seems your facing is that a lot of games still base their recommended requirements on old standards where MHz matters. For example, back in the day a 1.4GHz Athlon XP was like the equivalent to a 2GHz Pentium 4. It has changed much since then. I would worry more about matching a graphics card than your processor for a game. Processors do matter, but not as much as a good graphics card.

Also, it should be noted that recommended specs are not required specs. I don't know what game you are talking about, but I'd imagine your processor should be fine for most any game out there depending on what kind of graphics card you have.

Leonardo

pc gamer and it reccomended a dual core 3.5 ghz

Those are either serious, serious typos or a complete idiot who wrote it. There does not exist a dual core CPU at 3.5GHZ that has not been overclocked. The top of the line CPU right now is a dual core Intel Extreme Edition at 2.93GHz. I don't know this publication "PC Gamer," but if their other articles are as much nonsense as "dual core 3.5 ghz" (complete fiction), I'd find something else to read.

Bone, we'd really like to help you here, but everything does not add up:

thier both actual, I forget what game

If you can't remember the actual game, how can you remember the actual requirements? It's OK, we all have memory failures. Trust me, even a 2.5GHz dual core minimum requirement for games, ANY GAME, DOES NOT EXIST.

The most important hardware item for gaming is the video card. ANY modern dual core processor will work with any game you wish to play, as long as the other computer components are suitable.

Bone

well I am getting a laptop with the processor i mentioned and 2gb of ram, the video card is a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS

I hope this is a suitable laptop for gaming with todays games because its in the mail and on its way.

and I will look through the pc gamer that had those sys requirements i mentioned and find what game it was.