[up-smash]

I was thinking of what is important in a processor and I can't seem to figure out if it is better to have a quad core processor with a couple ghz or if its better to have a processor that has 4 ghz

[Hefemeister]

what are you planing on using your computer for?

Quad cores are better for multitasking and cpu intensive programs that are written to take advantage of multiple cores.

If you are mostly gaming and on a budget a dual core will do just fine.

It really comes down to your plans and your budget.

[Albo23]

If you have a processor with a 4Ghz clock, then it is bound to be single-core. I would opt for a dual-core. Most programs are optimized for that.

[Hefemeister]

Yes but if you have the money a i7 or Phenom 2 will outperform any dual core. On a budget dual cores are great.

[philbar71]

it also depends on what dual core we are talking about. stay away from the Pentium D's go with the core 2 duo's.

[Puddle Jumper]

You can't compare the clock speed of processors based on different architectures. A modern cpu (Athlon x2, Core 2, Core i7, Phenom) would beat something like a Pentium D or Pentium 4 regardless of the difference in clock speed.

[Peter.Cort]

You can OC quite a few proc's to 4ghz+

You just need the right equipment

[philbar71]

also the amount of cache will affect how fast the CPU is.