I've had my computer for a while now, and this seems to be about the right time to get a new one. I've been hearing a lot about Intel's new generation CPU's, and I've got Vue 6I related questions.

My current system is:

Windows XP Home SR2

2.53 GHZ Pentium 4

2 gig RAM

256 meg ATI Radeon 9600 AGP Video Card

       

The typical system everyone seems to be offering now is:

 

Windows XP Media Center (most offer free upgrade to Vista when it’s released)

2.13 GHZ Core 2 Duo E6400

2 gig RAM

256 meg ATI or nVidia Video Card

   

Questions:

1. Does Vue6I see the Core 2 Duo as one processor or two?
2. If two, does Vue6I automatically use both, or do I have to set up a render cow?
3. Do I need a 64 bit OS for Vue6I to fully utilize the power of the Core 2 Duo?
4. If I get a system like the one above, how much speed increase should I expect to see over my current system?

Any information I can get is most helpful and appreciated.

 Thanks!

I'd rather stay in my lane than lay in my stain!