Rokhan wrote:
Those of you who think that a quad core 2.3 will out perform a dual core 3.2 (similar price point), can you give any examples? Everyday software does not utilize anything more than dual core.
You're asking the wrong question with current architecture. The reality is, with quad/hex core processors on the Intel side, you've got A LOT more headroom for Turbo Boost. It sounds like marketing gimmick, but in the i7's and Sandy Bridge procs, it fairly substantial for everyday use. In short, it's basically an automatic overclock for single-threaded apps/games. It will speedstep the unused/underused cores, and increase clock on the single core. This results in huge chunk of performance without any significant heat generation.
On a side note, most quad cores at this stage match the remaining duals in clock speeds, usually with better memory support. Had you asked this question in 2009, I'd have answered differently, but Murphy has caught up with you in 2011
Blargh.