Dual-core refers to a CPU that includes two complete execution cores per physical processor. It combines two processors and their caches and cache controllers onto a single integrated circuit. Dual processor systems are those that contain two separate physical computer processors, Dual-Core and Multi-Core, residing alongside on the same chassis. An integrated circuit containing two complete computer processors are fitted in a dual-core configuration. Usually, the two identical processors are manufactured so they reside alongside, each with its own path to the system front side bus. Multi-core is to some degree an extension to dual-core technology and allows for more than two split processors. Multi-processor system, unlike a dual-core processor, includes two separate CPUs with their own resources. On the other side, resources are shared and the cores reside on the same chip in a dual-core processor.

The commands in a single-core or usual processor the CPU are arrayed, executed and then selectively stored in cache for fast recovery. Random access memory (RAM) facilitates in retrieval of data outside the cache through the system bus, if needed. Accessing these sluggish performances to the maximum speed the bus, which RAM allows is a far slower speed than of the CPU. The situation is compounded with multi-tasking.

Hyper-Threading is a technology that enables running multiple demanding applications at the same time. Intel has put Hyper-threading technology into operation. It is no multithreading. As a substitute it is a technology implanted within a single core processor which appears as of multiple processors.

A dual-core processor has loads of advantages especially for multitasking computing power. Two complete execution cores are provided by the Dual-core processors, as an alternative of one. Each core is linked with an autonomous interface to the front bus. The operating system has sufficient resources to handle intensive tasks in parallel because each core has its own cache. It helps in providing a noticeable improvement to multitasking. Each processor can handle a separate stream of data. This greatly increases the performance of a system that is running parallel applications such as a server. Dual-core processors require both the operating system and the application running on the computer to support thread-level parallelism technology to attain a complete optimized performance.

The common drift in processor development has been from multi-core to more-core. Multithreading and memory on chip supports in an enhanced performance, chiefly in processing multimedia, recognition and networking applications. Enhancement in efficient energy usage has been the main inclination in technology. The performance per watt is sustained by the ultra fine power management, dynamic voltage and periodic frequency scaling. It is a general conscious that the faster the processor, the higher is the clock speed. Dual-core processors made the topic complex. Since the dual-core processors are being developed to shape in the same dimensions as of a single core processor, speeds are not hence equivalent.