3.4 HT vs. 3.0 Dual Core

[tristan2]

I am planning on purchasing a computer today but am torn on which way to go.  Two systems configured essentially the same for almost exactly the same $.

One is a Pentium 3.2 GHz hyper thread and the other is a 3.0 GHz dual core.

I do video editing and copying and want to also do other things (like surfing and games) at the same time.

Any input would be appreciated.  Thanks

[neb1211]

Do you do more gaming or video editing?  I personally don't know a whole lot about the dual core processors but I do know that most games are not able to take advantage of the dual core technology so in that case you would be better off getting the P4 3.2ghz.  In fact very few programs currently out there are SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing) aware which means they will not be able to use more than one core at a time.  The only real advantage that will come from having a dual core processor is if you are using SMP aware software or if you are doing extreme multitasking (such as running Photoshop and Premier at the same time).  Your best bet would probably be to go with the P4 3.2ghz.