# The non-technical explanation for why Core 2 Duo is better than Core i7



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Why Core 2 Duo is better than Core i7


Compare these two systems:
Core 2 Duo build:

Antec 900
*Asus P5Q Pro Turbo
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz
4GB OCZ DDR2 1066*
Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB
Corsair TX750W
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB
Liteon DVD burner black
~$929


Core i7 build:

Antec 900
*Asus P6T
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz
6GB Corsair DDR3 1600*
Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB
Corsair TX750W
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB
Liteon DVD burner black
~$1181


(Prices taken from newegg.com on September 17, 2009)

The Core 2 Duo build will perform just as well in games as the Core i7 build, give or take slightly. Yet it costs $252 less. That means that, since the Antec 900 has a surface area of (19.4x8.1x2)+(19.4x18.4x2)+(8.1x18.4x2) and a dollar bill has an area of 6.14x2.61, you could cover the ENTIRE CASE with 83 one dollar bills--IN FACT, let's make it a full 100 bills to account for overlap--YOU COULD COVER THE ENTIRE CASE WITH ONE HUNDRED INDIVIDUAL DOLLAR BILLS. The ENTIRE case, window, fans, slots, everything, covered in MONEY. And you'd still have $150. That's enough for you and your significant other to go out for a meal, wine, and maybe even after-dinner cocktails at a fancy restaurant. And you could leave an ok tip. And you get to play games at their highest settings on a 21" monitor. On a computer covered in glued-on money.

Or you get the same performance, without the gangsta-rized case and night out.

Your call.


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## planchet (Sep 13, 2009)

too many (mainly) guys with the my .... is bigger than your .... 
some would go with the i7 just because of the "The Core 2 Duo build will perform just as well in games as the Core i7 build, give or take slightly."

most of those type normally dont have to worry about the "That's enough for you and your significant other to go out for a meal, wine, and maybe even after-dinner cocktails at a fancy restaurant. And you could leave an ok tip"

unrelated...
think i may be starting a thread regarding your core 2 duo build not too experienced in computers but looking to get a "real" computer to enhance my gaming/Home Theater.


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## Dacads (Aug 10, 2008)

Lol good explanation but people will still carry on with i7 builds since after all it is quad core so is faster and better in other tasks :wink:
http://www.cpu3d.com/article/4210-1/dual-core-vs-quad-core-which-is-better/introduction.html


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

Dacads said:


> Lol good explanation but people will still carry on with i7 builds since after all it is quad core so is faster and better in other tasks :wink:
> http://www.cpu3d.com/article/4210-1/dual-core-vs-quad-core-which-is-better/introduction.html


While the i7 may be faster and better in some tasks, the raw numbers don't support that it is superior in overall usage than the Core 2 builds. 

However, it is well documented that the cost/efficiency is way out of whack for the performance you are getting. Many of us still believe the Core 2 is the best you can get for both performance and cost efficiency.

If you have money to blow, like to deal with some instability issues that seem to still be there in many cases with some of the i7 builds, a limited number of available motherboards, DDR3 memory incosistencies, then certainly go for the i7. Don't misunderstand, if they work well, they are a beast. 

However, if you find that you want great gaming performance, a low level of compatibility problems, and a fair price for exceptional quality and tested platforms, reasonably priced DDR2 memory, then the Core 2 platform is for you. 

Your choice, just pointing out the "hidden" issues that crop up with the i7 builds. That is my personal opinion.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I totally agree.

I think it's worth pointing out that when these new CPUs come out they are generally a couple of years early than they should be. The i7 will not be upto standard for atleast another 12 months as there are still some issues as pointed out by other member that need to be addressed.

People will say "I want to future proof my system" this is impossible.

I study IT certifications and people ask me "Shouldn't I study the Vista track or the upcoming windows 7 track for the replacement to the MCDST?" (which supported xp) I always reply no because XP will be used by businesses for years to come even after MS stop supporting it. Some place still use Windows 2000 so XP will be around for along time to come and get better results than Vista.

The same applies to core 2 duo and quads, untill the issues with DDR3 are ironed out the core 2 duo and ddr2 will be around for a long time to come and get better results when it comes to performance usage, i.e for gaming.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Good job Phædrus2401. ray: I think the dollar bill thing shows you have way too much time on your hands. :grin:


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the consumer is well trained to assume newer is always better and faster!

we get spoiled when the REAL improvements get to market like the diff from the 486-DX to the first pentium chip or the first conroe chip vs the Pentium 3 & D .........but the i7 is not even close to being the hot shot the core2D was in comparison to its precedessor

the only builders I feel sorry for are the ones who expect to assemble their new rig and run it without issues; many of those are getting big surprises!

2-5% faster is NOT something you will notice in REAL life computing use

the i7 starts its design as a server platform but somehow Intel dupped consumers into that platform as a desktop computer 

you will be very hard pressed to harness the capability of that platform without relying on "synthetic" bench marks. ever try to eat synthetic food or spend synthetic money ?


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

The only guy I know who's knowledgeable about computers who really *loves* his i7 920 uses it as a combination file server, test bed for operating systems running in VMware, and CAD workstation. He's the type of person who talks about failover clustering and whose OS of choice is BSD and Solaris. He's not your typical consumer.

Most other people either treat their i7 like an extension of their eDick, or realize that they made a *slight* mistake spending that much money on new tech.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

or realize that they made a *slight* mistake spending that much money on new tech. 



the #1 vote = this one


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

"Slight" may be a bit of an understatement at this time.


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