There seems to be some controversy over buying a computer with a dual core processor or a quad core processor. Usually more is always better when talking about computer components. This is one area that does not follow the normal pattern. First let’s define what level of processors we are talking about. If money was no object we could include processors that may cost $2,000 just for the processor. Most people do not fall in that category so lets talk about normal range processors found in computers sold over the last four or five years at big box stores.
It is important that you correctly identify the type of computer user you really are most of the time. If you find that every once in a while you need to work on three or four things at the same time then the quad core processor may not be your best option. In most cases the dual core processor is faster than a quad core for average computer use. So if you use your computer to do one or two things 90% of the time you will be sacrificing speed for the 10% of the time you need a quad core. If on the other hand you do a lot of photo editing, streaming and have 10 open windows the quad core would be the best choice for you. It’s like having a car that will run 180 miles an hour. You either need to live close to a race track or you just like to know you could smoke those tires if you had to.
I must stress again that there are benefits to having one or the other. Now let’s talk about the biggest computer component change in the last five years. The solid state hard drive has changed the whole game. If you were to take the fastest processor out there and pair it with a mechanical hard drive it would be slower than a cheap dual core processor paired with a solid state hard drive. You would have more processing power with the best processor but the bottle neck holding you back would be the mechanical hard drive. A fast mechanical hard drive spins at 7,200 RPM with read and write times near 80 to 100. A medium priced solid state hard drive would deliver between 250 to 500 read and write times depending on the controller on the motherboard.
If you are thinking about buying a used computer please feel free to call or Email me. Advice is one of the only free things left that we can offer each other.