Both the Pentium 4 Prescott and Duo Core are families of central processing units (CPUs) produced by the Intel Corporation. Technically speaking, the line's official title "Duo Core" is a misnomer. The units differ in terms of speed, compatibility and the number of operations that they can perform simultaneously. Perhaps the most important difference is that the Prescott has been discontinued while Dual Cores are still in use as of March 2011.
Speed
Intel measures processor speed in terms of the number of times per second a given unit works to execute software instructions. This is known as the processor's "clock rate." Pentium 4 Prescott clock rates range from 2.26 to 3.8 gigahertz (gHz), according to CPU World. 1 gHz is one billion cycles per second. In comparison, Pentium Dual Cores range from 1.6 to 3.33 gHz.
Front Side Bus
The Front Side Bus (FSB) is the pathway the CPU uses to communicate with the computer's memory. The faster the FSB, the faster the CPU gets the information it needs to execute software commands. Pentium 4 Prescott models come with FSBs ranging from 533 to 800 megahertz (mHz). 1 mHz is one million cycles per second. At speeds from 800 to 1066 mHz, the Pentium Dual Cores are significantly faster.
Cores
As the name implies, Pentium Dual Core CPUs contain two cores. That is, they have two separate processors on the same chip. On its own, each core is capable of processing one software instruction at a time. Thus, as a whole the unit can process two instructions simultaneously. This is twice the amount of the single-core Pentium 4 Prescott.
Compatibility
Intel designs its processors to be compatible with specific socket types. The socket is the physical interface on the motherboard that houses the processor and enables it to communicate with other computer components. There are two types of Pentium 4 Prescott: one that uses Socket 478 and another that uses Socket 775. Similarly, there two types of Dual Core, some that use Socket 775 and some that require Socket 1156. This means that computers using motherboards outfitted with Socket 775 can potentially use either processor provided the motherboard is compatible with that processor's FSB speed.
Tags: Pentium Prescott, Dual Cores, Pentium Dual, communicate with, compatible with, cycles second