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    Intel Core Solo vs. Duo??

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Istari, May 29, 2006.

  1. Istari

    Istari Notebook Guru

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    Hey,

    I'm nearly ready to purchase a new laptop; I just have 1 question. I'm a casual gamer, and would like to play games such as Half Life 2 and Age of Empires 3 on my laptop. Would an Intel Core Duo such as T2300 be necessary to run these, or would an Intel Core Solo T1300 work just as well (both processors being 1.66 GHz)?

    Thanks in advance!!
     
    Istari, May 29, 2006
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  2. TedJ

    TedJ Asus fan in a can!

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    For gaming a good GPU is going to be more important than a dual core CPU, at least until they start producing multi-threaded games that can explot the extra core.

    That being said, the dual core is still nice to have if you can afford it... it makes your machine feel so much faster and more responsive. It's like going to broadband from dialup... once you've done it, you can't go back.
     
    TedJ, May 29, 2006
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  3. Lyshen

    Lyshen Notebook Evangelist

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    A dual core CPU is not necessary to run those or just about any game out on the market currently. However as Tedj has said, it doesn't hurt to have one for future games that may support dual core CPUs.

    Also depending on what type of laptop you are getting you may be better off getting the single core and upgrade to a faster Dual core in the future when prices drop on the dual cores.
     
    Lyshen, May 29, 2006
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  4. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    Regardless of what you're doing, I'd get the dual-core CPU in a heartbeat - there is very little price difference between the lower-end Duo and the Core Solo CPUs; the Duo will bring increased system performance and better performance in games by a marginal amount. Games in the future will support dual-core processing, and that brings huge gains in performance. Go for it.

    Chaz
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, May 29, 2006
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  5. Istari

    Istari Notebook Guru

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    Hmm... food for thought. I suppose I'll have to look at the price difference, and see if I should take the plunge. I guess I'm leaning towards the Solo right now, since I don't really multitask that much w/ games running, and it sounds perfectly adequate for my gaming needs. I'll look at the prices, and we'll see.. Thanks for the help!
     
    Istari, May 29, 2006
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  6. TedJ

    TedJ Asus fan in a can!

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    Considering the price difference between solo and duo on the machines I've been looking at are usually no more than $200 AUD, I'd also recommend going dual core. While you say you're not a heavy multi-tasker, remember that you have many apps running in the background that do impinge on performance... virus scanners are the first that come to mind.

    I'd consider the extra $100 USD or so money well spent, for future proofing if nothing else.
     
    TedJ, May 29, 2006
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