Difference between dual-core and two processors?

I don't think there is such thing as two processors in laptops, but the desktop I'm using has two processors. Is there any difference between a dual-core processor and a computer with two processors?

 

A dual core processor is one processor that has two cores... of course.
It's really the same thing has having 2 seperate processors.
They basically took the core out of the processor (you know... the part that does everything) and put two of them in 1 housing.

 

Effectively? No. In actuality? There are two physical chips with dual processors, and both chips are in one package on a dual-core. That's really all there is to it.

 

Well, there is one difference you may notice on CPU intensive tasks... the shared L2 cache you get with a dual core CPU. You don't get that with a traditional dual CPU SMP system, although I've seen a couple of workstation class mobos with shared L3 cache. Very expensive.

 

Another difference is the power saving mechanism of mobile core duo processors such that one core is inactive if there is no enough load on the processor.

 

Two physical processors that are the same speed as a dual core processor are effectively faster but a dual core processor still offers much the same performance as you would see with an SMP setup using multiple physical processors. A dual core processor uses much less power then two physical processors.

 

Dual-proc systems tend to have more memory bandwidth for their respective CPU cores, thus better at certain tasks. These days, systems with two processors usually end up having four cores, since dual core processors are becoming rather standard.

 

ajfink: How do you figure? They all still have to go through the northbridge. Only on some server boards does each processor have it's own bank of memory. Most dual-processor machines share a northbridge, and thus a memory controller. It's only different with Opterons (they have an on-chip memory controller) and some high-end server machines.