Dual core w/HT vs quad core no HT

[Celery]

I have an i3-2105 and I'm looking at the i5-3350. My i3 is a dual core with HT and the i5-3350 is a quad core without HT. They're both 3.1 Ghz and do 4 threads.

Now is the quad core are going to be generally faster or does it depend on the usage?

 

[PP Mguire]

Depends on the programs in question. Generally though, IB is 10% or so faster than SB in single threaded performance so it's still an upgrade. Then on programs that can take advantage of 4 cores you'll see a good boost.

 

[Celery]

Hmm... I'll have to research on that. $180 is a chunk of money to gamble on. I'm doing fine on my dual core but just that I never had a quad core to experience.

I'm just a casual user to be honest, nothing demanding on my system.

 

[PP Mguire]

Then until you really start to push programs or games I would wait. SB i3 is still a good CPU for any regular tasks.

 

[Celery]

Yes it is. It's a good CPU and I got it at $25 off from Newegg. Good deal.