What is the effect of having multiple threads?

I'm currently trying to choose between a computer with Core I3-2310M and one with Turion II-P540. The Turion one has two cores and two threads, while the intel one has two cores and 4 threads. The Turion has a .3GHZ faster clock speed.

Which processor would, in the end, be more efficent? Do the extra threads compensate for the slower clock speed?
I'm mostly considering this for gaming purposes.

Thanks in advance,
Valmancer

 

Ignore the clock speeds, SB is way better than Danube clock-for-clock. The i3-2310m is going to give 20-30% better performance despite the lower clock speeds. The IGP with SB is also significantly better and it will get way better battery life.

 

gaming is out of question with both CPUs unless the laptop you're considering has a discrete graphics card. The most you can do with an integrated IGP is to play 2-3 years old games with a low resolution and low settings.

If you want a cheap laptop that can handle games you might consider something with an AMD llano CPU.

 

Thanks for the answers.

I probably should've told you that it's intended for light gaming. Low settings are okay, and I'll be playing non-demanding games mostly (Diablo I&II, Red Alert)

And Naton, what do you mean gaming is out of question? I thought these would fit the minimum system requirements for Starcraft II... If you meant out of question for high-end gaming, I understand.

Thanks again,

Valmancer

 

Starcraft 2 is one of those rare games that benefits from more cores. It should be able to run SC2, but maybe low resolution/quality and for some people that isn't acceptable.

 

My Dinosaur of a laptop is a Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26 GHz with 4GB RAM and a 9800M GTS GPU with 1GB RAM...

And it has no problem at all running Starcraft II at 1920x1200 with all settings on High. Ultra starts to slow things down, but high still looks really good.

Maybe having discrete video is making a substantial difference in performance. I just think for gameplay Starcraft II doesn't seem like it would be all that graphics intensive. Seems like it would be moreso during some of the cutscenes.

 

sc2 is gpu intensive, your card is as good as a gt 555m right now, and when it was launched it was a great gpu, and actually it was launched around the same time as the 4200 series which is integrated and actually pretty slow.

the worst thing that it might happen is that the intel that you have wont be able to play D3 when it launches, the best thing is that it might be able to play on medium

 

Its not a dinosaur!! The gateway is the same that I have.... It played high end games at high res before. Except, now I upgraded to a x9100. Which btw is awesome.

The problem with technology is.... Something new is comming out all the time. Weeks after you buy it your new hardware is outdated. Follow recommended specs on games if you want good performance. Follow minimum specs on games if you dont care about graphics.

New technology is always more expensive. And just food for thought.. is the difference in performance of core 2 dou to i3/i7 cost efficent? I think not, at least for the average gamer. Software designers, video editors, and extreme gamers maybe not.

Oh and yeah. A Pentium 3 could run Diablo 1/2 and Red Alert 1/2. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC)

 

I forgot to answer your question. Out of your 2 choices, the cpu with the higher thread count will be the highest performing. Its a compicated process. Read at link below to help explain it.

Check this link out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_(computer_science))