How do dual core processors compare to singles for gaming?

Question by Mythological Beast: How do dual core processors compare to singles for gaming?
I'm looking at buying a new gaming machine, and for excellent performance without breaking the bank, Ars Technica is suggesting a dual-core 2.93GHz system. A game I'm looking at requires 2.5GHz minimum, 3.5GHz preferred, but that's for single-core performance. How much does having a second core contribute to the processing speed of a gaming system?
Aha! Thanks, Andy, that's the piece of information that I was missing. Yes, I was comparing apples and oranges (or maybe goose eggs and ostrich eggs). The Pentium vs Core 2 detail was the one that I somehow overlooked.


Best answer:
Answer by John DFor newer games, more and more are coming out that take advantage of dual cores. For semi-old ones, it may make a tiny bit of difference, but nothing HUGE. For much older ones, it won't make any difference at all, and at some points make it a but harder. (Like Thief 2).

But I would take

mystery pua