Quote:
|
Originally Posted by philip.j.fry
Because we already have the software for multi-threading/tasking/processing. The only software that needs to know about the dual-core is the OS, user space software will automatically take advantage of the extra processor. The major impact that this will have is in cost, it's already possible to buy multi-processor systems but the cost is prohibitive (though I imagine there are some benefits to be had in terms of latencies between the processors).
|
That software has to be designed to efficiently run with multiple threads to really benefit. For instance, if you run premiere 5 (which is not optimised for multiple processors) on a MP (or presumably, Dual core) mavhine, it will only use one CPU. If you run Premiere 6 on the same machine, you will get a 70% speed increase, as Premiere 6 is optimised for multiprocessor use. Hyperthreading gives Premiere 6 a similar, but lesser boost.
Not sure about now, but I do remember reading that a while back (when Quake 3 was released), very few games were optimised for MP use.