Quad Core Vs Dual Core for Gaming
Choosing a computer processor used to be simple years ago. All you had to check among the specifications was the clocking frequency. More the clocking frequency, faster is the processor in carrying out various operations. While that fact still holds true, we now have the added complication of considering the number of cores that make the processor. When Intel and AMD couldn't put more transistors on the processor chip as they hit a thermal wall and couldn't go beyond a clocking frequency beyond 4 GHz, they decided to decrease the die size of the chip and put multiple cores together, to achieve superior performance.
First dual, then quad and now six core processors have made it to the market. What does this mean for the serious gamer who is interested in utilizing processor power to improve his gaming experience? Will you see a substantial improvement in the way your computer renders and runs games, if you go for a quad core? These are the questions, I try to answer in the following lines of this Buzzle article.
Quad Core Vs Dual Core: Which is Better For Gaming?
The central question which I must first answer here is - 'Are quad core processors better than dual core ones?', after which we can compare them with reference to gaming. While it's not true that quad core is twice as faster as dual core processor, it offers parallel processing which makes multitasking possible and certainly enhances the speed of operation substantially.
You will see a pronounced improvement in tasks like video editing, rendering and in performance of applications that have multithreading built into them. Without multithreading feature inculcated in a software program, a quad core processor is not going to offer you any substantial improvement in performance, when both have the same clocking frequency.
The situation is analogous to having a 350 cc bike and driving it around town on crowded roads where you can't accelerate even beyond 25 miles per hour. What's the use of that high power engine without the empty roads that can let you harness its true power to reach a mind-boggling 100 miles per hour? In the same way, without multithreading facility, no matter how many cores a processor has, you are not going to be able to run the program, at any greater speed.
Thankfully, software developers are now catching up to create software which can utilize the parallel processing power of four cores (Like they have a choice!). Two or three years ago, there were very few software programs, which could do that, but today quad cores find more use, with programs which can harness their power.
As far as gaming is concerned, the processor is not the only factor which determines gaming performance. The video card also plays a large role. However, assuming that you have the best video card that money can buy, how does a quad core processor compare against a dual core one, with same clocking frequency? With the added power of the two extra cores, the quad core does indeed provide superior performance, as most of modern games have been designed to take advantage of the four cores. Combined with a good video card, quad core processors can truly pack a punch and have a clear edge over dual core processors.
To conclude, going for a quad core processor makes abundant sense for gaming enthusiasts now, as new games are being developed with multithreading ability. Most of the new game software has been upgraded to utilize the power of quad core processors to provide you faster graphic processing and an enriched gaming experience.
