Core 2 Quad question

To how much GHz of core 2 DUO is Core 2 Quad 2.00GHz comparible to?

 

Depends on the program being used. Some programs can only use 1 or 2 cores at a time.

 

worst case: 2 GHz. best case, 4 GHz.

 

Worst Case 1 core in use for a single threaded application @ 2.0ghz

Best Case all 4 cores overclock to about 3ghz for 12ghz total processing power

Quad > Dual > Single

Really its that simple.

In real life use I have never run into the worst case situation, I do have some single threaded apps but none of them are capable of maxing out a single core @ 2ghz so it does not cause a cpu bottleneck.

The best case situation however can be quite common, I just encoded a video for youtube an hour ago and it uses all 4 cores @ 100% and I did my clip in literally half the time it would take with a dual core of the same speed.

Also multitasking is important, want to rar some files while playing a game so you dont have to sit around staring at the computer screen for 15 minutes? Quad makes it happen with ease.

 

I would agree with you, on the laptop front for now, I do notice a difference *desktop wise* from going from the Core series to i7, but until that comes to laptops(and it wont be the same as dekstops still), which may be till December, it really honestly doesn't matter past 2Ghz IMO, most programs cannot use one core @ 2Ghz, let alone 2, 4 is sometimes overkill, but new OS's such as Windows 7 can use the extra cores and it does make a difference.

To make a major change in your system performance at this, a SSD would be the best option, as all the response and load times are greatly reduced, making your system ridiculously snappier.