Is a 2.6Ghz dual core processor equivalent to a 3.0Ghz single core processor?

[Venom 3135]

Ok, so I'm only able to get PC games if my PC meets At least the recommended requirements. I want to buy half life 2, and I meet all of the requirments, only I have a 2.6GHz dual core pentium Processor, but Half life 2 requires a 3.0GHz single core processor. Do I meet the Recommended requirements?

 

[Dark Harbinger]

Of course!

2.6Ghz x 2 = 5.2Ghz

Plenty there, hope you enjoy Half Life 2

 

[CourtneyCC]

... Yes. You will succeed.

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

Yeah, you should be able to play it no bother. I can play it with a 2.00 GHZ Dual Core, 1GB of Ram on Vista and no graphics card.

 

[Venom 3135]

Of course!

2.6Ghz x 2 = 5.2Ghz

Plenty there, hope you enjoy Half Life 2

Thank you very much sir!

... Yes. You will succeed.

I actually lol'd at this. Thanks.

 

[kasperbbs]

It worked fine MAX'ed out on my old PC that had only 2.0GHz processor and some shady gpu that had a screwdriver stuck in its ventilator so it wouldn't sound like a jet engine.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

You know, I've never been quite sure as to exactly how that works. Like do each of the processor cores operate independently of each other?
In any case, you should be fine though.

 

[Venom 3135]

Thanks everyone, your help s much appreciated. I just worry about these things sometimes

 

[baddude1337]

It requires a 3.0ghz? I got a 2.66 and it runs absolutely fine.

 

[uc.asc]

Of course!

2.6Ghz x 2 = 5.2Ghz

Plenty there, hope you enjoy Half Life 2

Kind of depends on how well it utilizes multithreading. A single-threaded game wouldn't be able to use both cores, though happily the source engine is multithreaded now.

Also, the 3 GHZ thing is bollocks. It was probably aimed at people using pentium 4 processors, which are utter shit compared to any modern consumer processor (core architecture and whatever the AMD equivalent was).

 

[Kevonovitch]

You know, I've never been quite sure as to exactly how that works. Like do each of the processor cores operate independently of each other?
In any case, you should be fine though.

yes they do.

it's kinda like traffic lanes, each core takes 2 lanes (for example), so more cores=more lanes=more stuff passing back and forth=moar powaaarrrz XD

 

[Akihiko]

You know, I've never been quite sure as to exactly how that works. Like do each of the processor cores operate independently of each other?
In any case, you should be fine though.

They each do their own tasks. The computer can split tasks between the two cores, instead of having it on the one, which would inevitably slow it down.

It depends on whether the game supports multiple cores. The source engine does, though. Infact, most old games which don't support multiple cores will still be playable even if it only uses one of your cores.

 

[Kevonovitch]

Of course!

2.6Ghz x 2 = 5.2Ghz

Plenty there, hope you enjoy Half Life 2

Kind of depends on how well it utilizes multithreading. A single-threaded game wouldn't be able to use both cores, though happily the source engine is multithreaded now.

Also, the 3 GHZ thing is bollocks. It was probably aimed at people using pentium 4 processors, which are utter shit compared to any modern consumer processor (core architecture and whatever the AMD equivalent was).

not nessisarily bollocks. they do take into account, "what if they have something running in the background?" so they tack on a little extra (not much, like 0.2-0.4ghz) to the recommended/optimal requirements, just in case, and now nobody has to worry about the cpu being wholey dedicated to 1 single thing, they left you room for 2 things

or atleast thats how they used to do it, dunno if thats still true past '04 >_>

 

[Agayek]

Of course!

2.6Ghz x 2 = 5.2Ghz

Plenty there, hope you enjoy Half Life 2

Thank you very much sir!

Just for clarity's sake, that math isn't really how it works. A 2.6 GHz processor is a 2.6 GHz processor, period. It's still going to be slower than a 3.0 GHz processor. All the dual core means is that it can do 2 things at once, if the programming supports that feature.

That said, you will be just fine running HL2 on any machine made in the last 3-5 years, which yours almost certainly qualifies as.

 

[EternalFacepalm]

Yeah, you should be able to play it no bother. I can play it with a 2.00 GHZ Dual Core, 1GB of Ram on Vista and no graphics card.

...wait what?

Anywho, it'll run. And HL2 is amazing.

 

[Uber Evil]

Yeah, you should be able to play it no bother. I can play it with a 2.00 GHZ Dual Core, 1GB of Ram on Vista and no graphics card.

...wait what?

Anywho, it'll run. And HL2 is amazing.

Probably mobo graphics.
OT: Most definitely. Have fun!

 

[Venom 3135]

Of course!

2.6Ghz x 2 = 5.2Ghz

Plenty there, hope you enjoy Half Life 2

Thank you very much sir!

Just for clarity's sake, that math isn't really how it works. A 2.6 GHz processor is a 2.6 GHz processor, period. It's still going to be slower than a 3.0 GHz processor. All the dual core means is that it can do 2 things at once, if the programming supports that feature.

That said, you will be just fine running HL2 on any machine made in the last 3-5 years, which yours almost certainly qualifies as.

2.6Ghz x 2 = 5.2Ghz

EPIC FAIL!
Why? Because that is simply wrong. It's as wrong as a 4 Ghz Quad Core is does not have 16Ghz; it has 4 Ghz. And this 2.6 Ghz Dualcore does not have 5.2 Ghz, but 2.6 Ghz.

To clear things up:
Imagine two cities, connected by trains. The speed at which the trains travel between each other is your 2.6 Ghz. The number of tracks is your number of cores. This means that a 3 Ghz Single Core is faster (train drives 300 km/h), but despie the "Dual Core-Train" needing longer to get from city A to city B (train drives 260km/h) it can drive with two independent trains the same time.

Practically it means that the Dual Core is superior, because the game has "its own 2.6 Ghz" and if Windows needs to do something, it does not impact the game.

I hope you understand that.

EDIT:
Lol, got ninja'd.

Just so you guys don't think I don't know this, I wont to tell you that I do. I'm aware of the fact that it doesn't add up, but I was thanking him for his contribution

 

[Canadamus Prime]

You know, I've never been quite sure as to exactly how that works. Like do each of the processor cores operate independently of each other?
In any case, you should be fine though.

yes they do.

it's kinda like traffic lanes, each core takes 2 lanes (for example), so more cores=more lanes=more stuff passing back and forth=moar powaaarrrz XD

Yeah that's what I thought. I just was never completely sure.

You know, I've never been quite sure as to exactly how that works. Like do each of the processor cores operate independently of each other?
In any case, you should be fine though.

They each do their own tasks. The computer can split tasks between the two cores, instead of having it on the one, which would inevitably slow it down.

It depends on whether the game supports multiple cores. The source engine does, though. Infact, most old games which don't support multiple cores will still be playable even if it only uses one of your cores.

I would think it wouldn't matter if the game supports multiple cores or not since it's the Operating System that divvies out processing resources anyway.