Do I need dual-core?

Do I need a dual core processor if I want to watch a DVD whilst using the laptop generally, eg instant messaging, browsing the web?
I have 2 screens and I thought it'd be quite cool to watch a movie whilst using the laptop for other things
So do I need a dual core processor for this, or is the single core lappy in my sig OK for this?
Thanks in advance

 

I don't think its a question of you needing dual-core, but if it will help you. Dual core won't mean your computer will be super fast, but it will mean you can multi-task better. You can have more programs open, and you can switch between them much faster than a single core. Thats the main benefit of a dual core. Dual cores aren't too expensive these dyas either, so it would seem appriopriate to spens a little more on a dual-core, than save a little, and go for a less able single core.

In your case, you could live with a single core, and it would be fine. However, dual cores will result in software also becoming dual core, and then there will certainly be a speed difference.

 

OK, thanks for that
I'd really like a dual core, but when I bought this laptop Core 2 Duo wasn't out yet and there weren't many mobile dual cores about, and what there were were expensive/didn't come with decent graphics

 

You should be able to do that with a singlecore just fine.
Browsing the web or IM'ing takes next to no CPU power, so that's definitely possible while watching movies.

Watching a movie while antivirus-scanning would be trickier without dualcore.

 

I know IM and web browsing doesn't take much CPU power, I was just concerned whether watching a DVD woud suck all my resources or not
Thanks

 

You could easily get away with a single core for the tasks you mentioned. I used a 3 year old, single core Pentium 4 laptop up until about a month ago for much more demanding tasks - Photoshop + Browsing + Chatting + iTunes, etc. These days though, you'd be hard pressed not to buy a computer with dual cores. Almost all basic models come with it so I say go for it.

~ Brett

 

Just another opinion, but Vista performs significantly better on dual-core systems than single core -- and obviously that applies even more when multi-tasking. That said, even if you're planning to upgrade to Vista, your system is plenty fast so I wouldn't worry about it. Make sure you are using a DVD player program that can offload some of the processing to your graphics card and you should speed up using your system while watching movies significantly.

 

Like I said, I'd really like a dual core now, but it wasn't practical when I bought my system
My DVD playing programs can all use the graphics card to accelerate DVD playback, so no problem there
As for Vista, I'm not planning on upgrading anytime soon, I've heard it kills battery life and reduces performance across the board compared to XP
Thanks again for all the replies folks