Dual core vs quad core

[GuyWithaFace]

Hey peoples so I'm planning on getting a new laptop which I will be using a lot for college work since I'm doing computer science. I'm looking at two different laptops that pretty mush have the same specs just a few differences. One laptop has a new 6th gen i5 6300hq that's quad core while the other has an i5 4210h that's dual core but does have 4 threads. Like I said I'll mainly be doing college work on it but would also like maybe a bit of gaming every-once in a while. I have a gaming pc so any graphic intense games I wanna play I can play on that, the laptop will most Likely only see less graphic intense indie games. The dual core laptop also has a bigger screen which is important for me cause I'm too used to looking at a 32" monitor on my pc and it also has a faster and bigger hard drive. The quad core one is also about 60 euro more which isn't too much but I'm already hitting my budget. So overall do I really need a quad core say for gaming or that programming work. I'm planning on keeping the laptop for at least 2 maybe 3 years. My main concern is the gaming part as I don't want the i5 4210h to be a bottleneck for the gtx 960m. So the question is, under these conditions, new quad core or older dual core with hyper threading? Thanks in advance!

 

[Glissov]

Considering you have a gaming desktop, I would suggest the laptop with the bigger screen. Are we talking about a 17" rather than a 15"?
One thing to bare in mind is that a bigger screen is likely to mean a heavier laptop (would that be a problem for carrying to college?).
I don't think either of the processors will bottleneck the GPU, you could even probably manage to play indie games with the integrated HD4600 on the 4210h or the 20% faster HD530 of the 6300hq.
I would highly recommend a SSD for your OS, which could be picked up for that 60 euro saving.
Good luck with your choices and let us know what you decide!

 

[GeorgeHillier]

Are these PCS laptops you're looking at? If not then we can't give advice on them

 

[GuyWithaFace]

Are these PCS laptops you're looking at? If not then we can't give advice on them

Yes that's why I'm asking here

 

[GeorgeHillier]

Yes that's why I'm asking here

Could you post the full specs for each build? And your budget?

 

[Glissov]

Are these PCS laptops you're looking at? If not then we can't give advice on them

Why can you only give advice on PCS laptops? I mean, you can talk about the differences between processors and graphics, regardless of brand or seller, right?

 

[GuyWithaFace]

Could you post the full specs for each build? And your budget?

My question was about the two CPUs, I don't need any help on the other specs. I'm only asking about this because I've used quad cores but havnt had much experience on using a duel core and am wondering about performance

 

[Glissov]

My question was about the two CPUs, I don't need any help on the other specs. I'm only asking about this because I've used quad cores but havnt had much experience on using a duel core and am wondering about performance

The amount of cores wont really effect you unless you plan to have several applications open at once.
If you are planning to stream and need skype, twitch, your game, forums/chats open etc etc, more cores are better...each core handles a different job. Cores affect workload.
Most games dont use more than 2 cores but some more advanced games are starting to utilize extra cores but its not mainstream yet.
(when I say utilize, some games can, how can I put it, piggy back other cores to make them work better...again, splitting workloads.)
This workload splitting is extremely visible in 3D rendering where packets of data are split between cores and then put back together resulting in decreased time for out putting video. Most users will rarely do this and even if you need to, its not on a daily basis so the extra length of time is not so important.

If you are playing one game in full screen, solo. There will be no noticeable difference between the number of cores, it would depend more on the clock rates then.

 

[GuyWithaFace]

The amount of cores wont really effect you unless you plan to have several applications open at once.
If you are planning to stream and need skype, twitch, your game, forums/chats open etc etc, more cores are better...each core handles a different job. Cores affect workload.
Most games dont use more than 2 cores but some more advanced games are starting to utilize extra cores but its not mainstream yet.

If you are playing one game in full screen, solo. There will be no noticeable difference between the number of cores, it would depend more on the clock rates then.

Ok I see, I understand the purpose of cores with workload, for me, since I havnt done much work on a specific dual core machine, I just wanted to know the possible performance difference. Thanks for the help anyway I'm thinking I'm going to go for the i5 4210h!

 

[GeorgeHillier]

Glissov, that's not 100% true, cores do have a big impact depending what you're doing. The quad core cpu will benefit many games as some now even require quad core to play. Also, depending what applications you use for programming the quad core could be useful.

Also, I only asked for the full specs because it may be best to get the dual core cpu and a better gpu etc depending on budget...

 

[Glissov]

Glissov, that's not 100% true, cores do have a big impact depending what you're doing. The quad core cpu will benefit many games as some now even require quad core to play. Also, depending what applications you use for programming the quad core could be useful.

The answers are in the details George. GuyWithaFace said he wanted the laptop for indie games, hence no quad core needed. Also if you read what I've written I have said more cores are better for managing workloads but unless there's more specificity regarding the actual college work, one can advise 2 cores over 4. Plus I also mentioned that some newer games are utilizing more cores but as I said its not mainstream yet and if you believe otherwise its a mute point because its not what has been asked for, lets keep it relevant.

Furthermore; GuyWithaFace already said he's hitting his budget. The 2 core CPU would free up 60 euros, doubt there's much options for a GPU upgrade with this amount and is it even needed?

 

[GeorgeHillier]

The answers are in the details George. GuyWithaFace said he wanted the laptop for indie games, hence no quad core needed. Also if you read what I've written I have said more cores are better for managing workloads but unless there's more specificity regarding the actual college work, one can advise 2 cores over 4. Plus I also mentioned that some newer games are utilizing more cores but as I said its not mainstream yet and if you believe otherwise its a mute point because its not what has been asked for, lets keep it relevant.

Furthermore; GuyWithaFace already said he's hitting his budget. The 2 core CPU would free up 60 euros, doubt there's much options for a GPU upgrade with this amount and is it even needed?

As a computer science student myself I can say that a quad core cpu can help out a lot with certain programs I use for my course. It is also just a good part to have in general as the majority of desktop cpu's are now quad core meaning more and more programs take advantage of this, along with the fact that a quad core cpu just helps generally with multitasking