RenoGeek's Computer Terms Glossary - Dual Core


Dual Core or Cores...
A CPU with two processors on the same circuit or chip. Both processors have their own cache and controllers, which lets each core function like a single processor or CPU.

Because the two processors are linked together as one unit, they can in many cases perform up to twice as fast as a single processor can.

While a dual core system has twice the processing power of a single processor system, They do not always perform 2x as fast.

This is because many software titles and even some O/S's may not be able to take full advantage of both processors.

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