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How does Dual Core work?
Sorry, this may be the dumbest question ever asked but I can't find a
"simple" answer to it. What I do find is a lot of technical explanations of what it is, which is over my head. If I want to multitask, say work on a picture in PhotoShop and burn a CD or DVD at the same time how do I do it? Is there now a step that one must do to tell the OS to use core 1 for Photoshop and core 2 for the say Nero? Or does the OS just handle it itself? If I may, a second question. Most suggestions for RAM I've seen say that 1GB is now the minimum one should have today. But if one does buy a Dual Core equipped computer should the RAM be increased to 2GB? Thanks -- -- |
#2
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How does Dual Core work?
On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:00:35 -0500, Garry Owen wrote:
Sorry, this may be the dumbest question ever asked but I can't find a "simple" answer to it. What I do find is a lot of technical explanations of what it is, which is over my head. If I want to multitask, say work on a picture in PhotoShop and burn a CD or DVD at the same time how do I do it? Is there now a step that one must do to tell the OS to use core 1 for Photoshop and core 2 for the say Nero? Or does the OS just handle it itself? If I may, a second question. Most suggestions for RAM I've seen say that 1GB is now the minimum one should have today. But if one does buy a Dual Core equipped computer should the RAM be increased to 2GB? Thanks -- -- Dual core means two processors on the same chip. The operating system takes care of scheduling the tasks on the different processors, the user doesn't have to do anything special. You need an OS that handles symmetric multiprocessing, SMP. Linux kernels can be configured to handle different numbers of processors, 32 is the default for SMP kernels but the parameter can be changed to handle larger or smaller numbers. For XP I think the limit is 2 for XP Pro (it could be 4 now), larger numbers of processors require XP Server (Windoze users can correct me on this, Microsoft can choose to up the number of processors that they consider reasonable for a desktop system any time they feel like it, next year when the four core processors show up they'll have to make the limit at least 4). As for RAM, the total that you need depends on the number of applications that you want to run simultaneously and the memory requirements of those apps. The number of processors is only indirectly related to the memory requirements. I say indirectly because on a multiprocessor system you are more likely to want to run more programs at the same time. That said, I'd recommend 2G for any new system, and I'd buy it as two 1G DIMMs not as four 512M DIMMs. On a new system you always want to leave room to upgrade your memory system in the future, buying two DIMMs leaves two sockets free for a future upgrade. |
#3
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How does Dual Core work?
XP Home supports one physical CPU socket, so it will run with a dual-core
CPU (like my 4400+). I'm not sure what would happen with a dual-core CPU that also supported hyperthreading (Intel), if such a CPU exists. When I first installed the 4400+ in a system that previously held a single-core A64, XP automatically changed to a multiprocessor HAL. (I say that as if I really understood what a Hardware Abstraction Layer is.) The system continued to run reliably, with both cores shown in Device Manager and with two CPU usage graphs under the Performance tab in Task Manager. (I've since moved the CPU to a new mainboard, and given it a clean XP Home installation. It's stable there, too.) XP Pro supports two sockets, and I believe that it would handle two chips (4 cores). I'm not familiar with the server versions of the OS. Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn. "General Schvantzkoph" wrote in message news On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:00:35 -0500, Garry Owen wrote: (snip) Dual core means two processors on the same chip. The operating system takes care of scheduling the tasks on the different processors, the user doesn't have to do anything special. You need an OS that handles symmetric multiprocessing, SMP. Linux kernels can be configured to handle different numbers of processors, 32 is the default for SMP kernels but the parameter can be changed to handle larger or smaller numbers. For XP I think the limit is 2 for XP Pro (it could be 4 now), larger numbers of processors require XP Server (Windoze users can correct me on this, Microsoft can choose to up the number of processors that they consider reasonable for a desktop system any time they feel like it, next year when the four core processors show up they'll have to make the limit at least 4). As for RAM, the total that you need depends on the number of applications that you want to run simultaneously and the memory requirements of those apps. The number of processors is only indirectly related to the memory requirements. I say indirectly because on a multiprocessor system you are more likely to want to run more programs at the same time. That said, I'd recommend 2G for any new system, and I'd buy it as two 1G DIMMs not as four 512M DIMMs. On a new system you always want to leave room to upgrade your memory system in the future, buying two DIMMs leaves two sockets free for a future upgrade. |
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How does Dual Core work?
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#5
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How does Dual Core work?
You could save a bit by getting Windows 2000 pro.It's an excellent OS,has
smp support. Downside is MS isn't supporting it anymore. Just in time for Vista!! "Andrew MacPherson" wrote in message ddress_disguised... (Bob Knowlden) wrote: XP Home supports one physical CPU socket, so it will run with a dual-core CPU I've only recently started contemplating a dual core CPU, and I assumed this would mean using XP Pro, which adds significantly to the upgrade cost. I didn't realise it was physical sockets which was the relevant factor. That's welcome news. Andrew McP |
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How does Dual Core work?
It is further alleged that on or about Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:44:29 GMT,
in alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64, the queezy keyboard of "dawg" don't spewed the following: |You could save a bit by getting Windows 2000 pro.It's an excellent OS,has |smp support. Downside is MS isn't supporting it anymore. Just in time for |Vista!! Technically incorrect. Win2K went into 5 year extended support effective June 30, 2005. -- -nos1eep |
#7
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How does Dual Core work?
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