Do I really need a quad core?

[Cabbs]

Most office programs are probably single-threaded because there is no need for excessive processing power. Usually graphics-editing software is multi-threaded and you should see an advantage with a multi-core processor. This also depends on the program. What you can do is look up the programs you are going to be using and searching to see how many threads the program has.

 

[jsphdickens@gma]

I want to reiterate the point that you aren't going to be utilizing 4 cores in most circumstances. For most computing, a faster dual core is going to outperform a quad core with lower speed.

 

[busyminds]

I would also recommend to go with the quad core. Think of it as an investment in the next 5 years. Since processors always change every year. Its a good buy so go for it!

 

[JohnRocks]

Quad core is any day better than any processor so it is worth upgrading it .