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Can someone clear up the terms Core Duo CPU, Quad Core, Dual CPU, etc.?
Does "core" mean CPU or memory or both?

I'm thinking of buying a new computer. But what's a dual core?

I can understand dual.. but i can't understand core

Keep it simple please and thanks =D

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Basically computers have more than one 'processor' these days - while early dual processor systems were two independant processors, then two 'dies' on a single package, modern dual cores are two tightly coupled processor cores on the same die. Some also also support hyperthreading, which allows them to do twice as many tasks at once.

In simple terms, you get two 'effective' processors in a single package.

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  • AMD multicore CPUs (among others) don't support HT.
    – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams
    Jul 16, 2011 at 6:14
  • Ah, the days of SMP, but only if you worked with servers or were a really rich home-user. :-)
    – Synetech
    Jul 16, 2011 at 6:18
  • edited to reflect that HT isn't universal. @synetech - its probably nearly impossible to find a non smp system other than at the really low end ;)
    – Journeyman Geek ♦
    Jul 16, 2011 at 7:24
  • I meant the SMP in the context of dual-socket motherboards. None of the main mobo mfgs (eg Abit, Asus, etc.) had any dual-sockets (at least not any affordable ones or ones that consumers could find easily). The only multi-socket mobos I’d seen in the old days were from “unknown” mfgs like Tyan. Of course people who worked with servers probably knew of them, just like they had seen servers with 8GB RAM or 1TB disk when consumers were thrilled with having 512MB and 5GB.
    – Synetech
    Jul 16, 2011 at 18:12

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