Duel Core Processors

[Vowen]

Hey guys I am building a new computer and hoping to use this as my CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

Can anyone tell me what the duel core actually does?

Does 3.0 GHz duel core mean that I can run a program that uses 6.0 GHz?
Or does it mean that I can run two 3.0 GHz programs simaltaneously?

Anyone who could answer these questions directly would be a big help as this has been bugging me for a while. I'm kind of a newbie at this haha

 

[Alvin.C]

Hello,

In a nutshell, a dual-core processor allows for better multitasking than a single core processor, because two threads can be processed simultaneously.

A dual core processor will not provide exactly twice the clock speed (a 3 GHz dual core processor does not effectively give you 6 GHz). However, in general, dual core processors can provide performance that is close to twice the clock speed of a single core processor at the same speed.

...Or does it mean that I can run two 3.0 GHz programs simaltaneously?

In a multitasking operating system like Windows XP, you can already run two programs or more simultaneously, albeit maybe slowly.

A dual core system allows multitasking with better performance.

 

[NightSurge]

Also, programs do not use "3.0GHz or 6GHz" to run. They use memory and processes of the CPU. The gigahertz rating is just the speed at which the processor can process those processes. Wow, lots of process in that statement.

With this CPU you could run basically any program and set of programs without trouble. Unless you plan to have 10+ programs running simultaneously (such as a game running, while rendering a movie, while uploading a file, while watching a movie, etc.) that E8400 will supply all the speed and power you will need. If you plan to be doing a lot of things at the same time, you may want to invest in a quad-core CPU because those enable 4 cores to work and share the load rather than just two.

The simple answer is that CPU will be fast enough and powerful enough for anything you may need. (unless, of course, you meet the category that needs a quad-core, but I doubt you will)