BleepingComputer.com: CPU Questions.

Hi. I was wondering, how is using a dual core processor different than using two single core processors?

At the moment I have 2 Intel Pentium D 3.40 GHz. And I was wondering if it would be any better to switch to a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400.
I mainly use the computer for gaming.

Thanks.

I've never heard of a dual Pentium setup, I didn't think the Skulltrail platform used processors that old. What exactly is your computer setup? Which motherboard are you using? Most dual CPU setup's I've seen require special processors and sockets and the selection of processor types is usually quite low. A Core 2 Duo may not work in the same motherboard. The two CPU motherboards are often, depending on the motherboard and applications, not as powerful as a single quad core setup. Also, the Core 2's, along with the i7 and the Phenom and Phenom II architecture on the AMD side, are more advanced than the Pentium D and simply operate more efficiently.

I am using... an Intel Corporation D945GTP.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by setup, so I'll list my system specs.

Windows XP Professional
Intel Pentium D CPU 3.4GHz
Intel Corporation D945GTP
NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT

By setup I meant the specs you listed. That motherboard does not allow for two CPU's and will not handle a Core 2 CPU. Only Pentium D, Pentium 4, and Celeron D CPU's can be used, as you can see here. If you want to use a newer CPU, such as the Core 2, i7, or Phenom II, you will have to replace your motherboard and possibly your RAM.

I see. So then what motherboard should I upgrade to?

Dual CPU motherboards have been around since the Socket 7 days.
They were usually used in servers.
When Intel hit the heat barriar with the Pentium 4 CPU's they had to find a new direction to go in to continue releasing new products.
Using the idea of more is better & seeing that servers use 2 CPU's somebody came up with the idea of a CPU with 2 CPU's on a single chip .
The Pentium D was "born" .
To give their product a facade of truly new technology rather the a variation of the old the term "core" was used to describe 2 CPU's on a single chip.
Refining the technology produced the "dual core" , Core2Duo, & a new generation of "dual core" .

Once Intel hit the heat barriar with the 2 "core" CPU's to keep releasing new products they implemented the "more is better" line of thinking & the "quad core" was born.

[Now that they are getting close to hitting the wall with those they are , once again, implementing the "more is better" line of thinkung & are working on 6 & 8 "core" CPU's



Now to answer.

I have 2 Intel Pentium D 3.40 GHz. And I was wondering if it would be any better to switch to a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400.

That is a bit of a toughy .

With 2 Pentium D 3.40 GHz you actually have 4 CPU's running @ 3.4GHz with a front bus of 800MHz.

With a E8400 you have 2 CPU's running at 3.0GHz with a front bus of 1333MHz.

Given that you would be trading 4 for 2, losing .4GHz , BUT gaining a 1333MHz front bus & the newer techno;ogy , and after refering to this chart,

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php...ntium+D+3.46GHz

O would say DEFINATLY go with the E8400 .

The motherboard the OP is using does not support two CPU's. It says so at the manufacturer's page, which is over at Intel. This is what they say about the motherboard:

The Intel® Desktop Board D945GTP supports a single Intel processor in an LGA775 socket. See the table below for a complete list of supported processors.

Below that is a table of processors that does not include the Core 2. That means if the OP wanted to use a better processor, a new motherboard is needed. It's as simple as that.

Therefore, if you want to use a Core 2 you need to get a new motherboard. Dual CPU setups are often used in workstations which most home users do not have. Anyway, the motherboard you should get depends on what you want to do with that PC. Are you a general user who only surfs the net and listens to music, or are you a high-end video gamer? Are you willing to replace the motherboard, CPU, and RAM and reinstall Windows?

Generally, I like to play games, that's the main reason I'm looking to upgrade.

What kind of games do you play? Slower paced games like WoW, The Sims, or King's Quest, or faster paced games like Crysis, Call of Duty, or Gears of War. Fast paced games will require more computing power and thus better and more expensive hardware. Also, what are you willing to spend to upgrade your motherboard, CPU, and RAM?

I normally play more fast paced stuff.
What would be a normal price tag to upgrade just the motherboard?
I already know that I want to get the E8400 for a cpu.

Well, you cannot just upgrade the motherboard since the RAM on your old board is unlikely to be fast enough to go over to the new one. The RAM your old board uses is DDR2 677 or lower and newer boards often require faster RAM. Keep in mind, also, that you will pay more for an Intel CPU since the Phenom II X2 550 comes very close to the E8400's performance for less money. You may even be able to get the triple core Phenom II X3 720 for the same price as the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400. Of course, the price difference may be more or less since you are in Canada. There's a lively thread going on over at Tom's Hardware about the E8400. Also, here's a review of the 550 over at Guru3D. As for motherboards, Newegg.ca has one that can use DDR2-677 and the E8500, that board is the ECS GF7050VT-M LGA 775 GeForce7050 / 610i Micro ATX Intel Motherboard. Your old motherboard allows for other lower RAM speeds, and if your current motherboard has the lower speed RAM, you will not be able to use it on the new motherboard since it will only take DDR2-677.

This post has been edited by DJBPace07: 16 August 2009 - 04:57 PM

Actually... I think I might just get the AMD Phenom II X2 550 now. What's the difference between the Phenom II X2 550, and the Phenom II X2 550 BE?
What would be a decent quality Motherboard to go with it? I'm willing to upgrade my RAM as well.

This post has been edited by Dt654: 17 August 2009 - 10:49 AM

There is only one Phenom II X2 550 that is always Black Edtion (BE). BE means the CPU multiplier is unlocked making overclocking easier. Most normal users of CPU's don't overclock. Since you're in Canada, I went through the Canadian Newegg to get you the parts list and all prices are in CAD.

Motherboard: ASRock M3A785GMH/128M AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - ASRock makes very good motherboards and this is a simple one that can handle your processor. Actually, it can handle most AMD CPU's in the AM3 line. Since I don't know the size for your computer case and the Intel motherboard you had was a micro ATX, I got a micro ATX motherboard for you just to be safe. $99

CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz - This is the dual core CPU. $119

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - The motherboard I selected, and all AM3 only motherboards in existance, take DDR3 RAM. This RAM is slightly more expensive than DDR2 but runs cooler and uses less power. $84

Another thing, would an Intel Graphics card work with an AMD motherboard?

Intel doesn't make discrete graphics cards, yet. Instead, they make integrated ones. Discrete graphics cards are ones you plug into the PCI, PCI Express, or AGP expansion slots. The ASRock motherboard I selected comes with an integrated Radeon HD 4200 graphics card. If Intel were to make a discrete graphics card, it would be compatible since the card functions separately from the motherboard chipset and the drivers, which would be Windows-based, would do everything on the software end.

This post has been edited by DJBPace07: 18 August 2009 - 05:33 PM