Performance Comparison between Two Quad-Core CPUs and One Eight-Core CPU
After knowing the factors that affect CPU performance, we can compare the performance between two quad-core CPUs and one eight-core CPU on the same motherboard. To make the comparison easier, we will use the example of the previously mentioned CPUs, namely Intel Core i7-7700K and AMD Ryzen 7 1800X.
The following are the complete specifications of the two CPUs:
| CPU | Core | Thread | Clock Frequency | Cache | Hyper-Threading | Turbo Boost |
| Intel Core i7-7700K | 4 | 8 | 4.2 GHz (4.5 GHz) | 8 MB L3 | Yes | Yes |
| AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | 8 | 16 | 3.6 GHz (4.0 GHz) | 16 MB L3 | Not | Yes |
From the table above, we can see that the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X has advantages in terms of the number of cores, threads, and cache, while the Intel Core i7-7700K has advantages in terms of clock frequency and Hyper-Threading. Then, which one is faster?
The answer is: that it depends. Depending on the type of application being run, the workload provided, and optimizations performed. There is no definitive answer to this question because CPU performance is affected by many factors, both internal and external. However, in general, we can say that:
- If the application you run can utilize many cores and threads, then an eight-core CPU will be faster than two quad-core CPUs. Examples of applications like this are video rendering, audio encoding, file compression, and physics simulation. These applications require a lot of parallel computing, so they can split the workload into many cores and threads. Eight-core CPUs have an advantage in this regard, as they have more cores and threads that can work simultaneously. Eight-core CPUs also have larger caches, which can reduce access time to main memory.
- If the application you are running cannot utilize many cores and threads, then two quad-core CPUs will be faster than eight-core CPUs. Examples of applications like this are games, browsers, and Office. These applications require more serial computing, so they can’t split the workload across many cores and threads. Quad-core CPUs have an advantage in this regard, as they have higher clock frequencies, which can provide higher speeds for active cores. Quad-core CPUs also have Hyper-Threading, which can increase the number of threads that can be run simultaneously.
Conclusion
From the above, we can conclude that there is no definitive answer to the question of whether two quad-core CPUs are faster than one eight-core CPU on the same motherboard. CPU performance is affected by many factors, both internal and external. CPU performance also depends on the type of application being run, the workload provided, and optimizations performed.
In general, we can say that eight-core CPUs are faster for applications that utilize many cores and threads, whereas two quad-core CPUs are faster for applications that do not utilize many cores and threads.