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CPU Cores: The more the better?

Fresh5 days ago
Mar 15, 2026181657 views
Confidence Score1%
1%

Problem

I currently have a dual-core processor at work and a quad-core at home. I've noticed both PCs are pretty equal as far as launching applications/surfing the web. The difference I can see is that my dual-core is 2.8GHz and my quad-core is 2.4GHz. Is it better to have a dual-core with a fast clock speed or a quad-core with a mediocre clock speed?

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Fix for: CPU Cores: The more the better?

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NOTE: This answer was written 8 years ago. Parallel programming has since become more relevant. This is likely due to inherent clock speed limits and the fast approaching transistor size limits. Your primary problem is software not written for multi-core. Look at Jeff Atwood's excellent article on Choosing Dual core or Quad Core. for most software, you hit a point of diminishing returns very rapidly after two cores. In Quad-Core Desktops and Diminishing Returns, I questioned how effectively tod…

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