I have the intel 6300 core duo and also the amd x2 4800 dual core. Both are about the same with the amd being just a little quicker in converting dvd's to divx by about 5 fps. Both of them are at about 40c cpu temp at idle. The only difference is price, I paid 109.00 for the amd and 169.00 for the intel. Of the 2 cpu's, I prefer using the amd 4800 for everyday use, the intel computer is my backup computer. My next upgrade will probably be a amd 6000 dual core.
Core 2 Duo is a brand name. Dual core is a type of product. The following are all dual core CPUs: Intel Pentium D Intel Pentium E 2000 series Intel Core Duo Intel Core 2 Duo E4000 series Intel Core 2 Duo E6000 series AMD Athlon64 X2 AMD Turion64 X2