Which processor is better for games? Single or dual core?

Yes, you can typically get away with lower clocked Core 2 processors, but not usually because there's two cores. Indeed, when you're playing games with a Core 2, one core is usually doing almost nothing. The reason you can use a slower Core 2 is that it does more work per clock cycle. In other words, it can do more in 2 GHz than some older processors do in 3 GHz. This is also way the Athlon 64s trounced the Pentium 4s even though the Athlons were technically a whole 1 GHz "slower" in some cases. That's not to say multi core has NO benefits in games. Your video drivers probably have some optimizations for dual core and some newer games are starting to take advantage of it. You'll definitely want a multicore system in the not-too-distant future. If you're buying a processor right now there's really no reason to not get one - you won't save much money as the prices are very close. If you already have a computer with a 3 GHz or faster Pentium 4 (or 2 GHz Athlon 64) then don't worry too much about upgrading because it won't help your games a whole lot.

go dual core. it pretty much doubles the speed. mines a quad core, it can handle any game thats out right now

As it is right now, you should go with a fast single core processor for gaming. Dual processor would be good IF games were written to take advantage of dual core processors (meaning splitting the workload between twp processors), which they are not.

I'd go with the single core faster clock speed & a good video card.Most new games need a 256mb vid card.

I think dual core better than single core. In the near future, games will use multiple cores to create an immersive gaming experience. Multiple core processors like the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX6800 have additional cores to run Artificial Intelligence algorithms and calculate Physics for numerous objects in the game.

dual core all the way!