Q&A: What’s The Difference Between A Dual Core Processor and Dual Processors?

Sponsor: Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit: www.gotomeeting.com/techpodcasts Sponsor: Try SquareSpace free for 14 days, use the code "bwana" to save 10% on the life of the account: www.squarespace.com/?associateTag=bwana In this video I answer a question via email (help@bwana.tv) from Xinchro who asks what is the difference between a dual core and dual processor.  One of the major differences between dual core and dual processor is that one shares system resources while the other one has its own resources.  Dual core processors have two cores on the same processor while dual processors are two physical processors.  Dual core is popular lately since it's a low cost option for most people whereas dual processors are more expensive.  Software wise, all this depends on whether your software supports multi-threading.  Most major programs do not support multi-threading yet (like most games) but the support is slowly coming to fruition.  There is also the possibility of a combination of dual cores and dual processors.  For example, the newer Mac Pros have 4 cores (quad core) and you can buy a single quad-core or a dual quad-core (for a total of 8 cores).  There's much more to this topic, but this is the quickest way I can explain it without going into massive, confusing detail.  Thanks for the question, Xinchro.