Intel Corp., and its tenacious rival, AMD, have grandiosely entered the multi-core processor market. A multi-core processor is what you get when you put, well, multiple processor cores, four or more, in a single package or on a single piece of silicon. While multi-core processors have been around for a while, these new babies, the x86 processors, were to bring joy to computing, by souping up the performance of the PCs.
AMD and Intel, both of which launched dual-core processors last year, are now locked in combat to put as many x86 cores on a chip as possible. The catalyst for multi-core was the inability to keep increasing the complexity of a single core and running it faster. But, the question is, do we really need multi-core processors for mainstream computing? Unfortunately, says new research by In-Stat, a high-tech market research company, the answer is not a simple yes and no. It depends on the application and type of cores.
"Servers have a natural need for multi-core processors, because servers are designed to handle multiple instantiations of specific functions for a group of users. The more processors, or processor cores, that are available, the greater the potential performance and/or the number of users that can be served. So, putting more and more of the same core (homogeneous) in a chip is a great thing for the server market," In-Stat says.
Different game
PCs, however, are designed for a single user at any given time. As a result, reaping the benefits of a multi-core processor either requires multiple different processes running simultaneously or a single application that can de divided between multiple resources to increase performance, it says.
"Anyone using a version of Microsoft Windows is likely to have a dozen or more applications running simultaneously, including operating system functions, security resources, and user applications. Although many of the background functions and user applications may use very little of the processor’s resources, the user may still see some benefit from multi-core processors," the research firm says.
However, scientific modeling, gaming, and digital content creation can be demanding on the processor, but are just now being modified to handle two threads or processors.
Breaking an application down into more than two threads can become exponentially more difficult with diminishing returns. In addition, developing applications for two or more threads requires a new software development model, tools, and even engineers capable of managing a more complex software environment.
As a result, In-Stat says, the availability of such mainstream PC applications is likely to be years away.
AMD and Intel, both of which launched dual-core processors last year, are now locked in combat to put as many x86 cores on a chip as possible. The catalyst for multi-core was the inability to keep increasing the complexity of a single core and running it faster. But, the question is, do we really need multi-core processors for mainstream computing? Unfortunately, says new research by In-Stat, a high-tech market research company, the answer is not a simple yes and no. It depends on the application and type of cores.
"Servers have a natural need for multi-core processors, because servers are designed to handle multiple instantiations of specific functions for a group of users. The more processors, or processor cores, that are available, the greater the potential performance and/or the number of users that can be served. So, putting more and more of the same core (homogeneous) in a chip is a great thing for the server market," In-Stat says.
Different game
PCs, however, are designed for a single user at any given time. As a result, reaping the benefits of a multi-core processor either requires multiple different processes running simultaneously or a single application that can de divided between multiple resources to increase performance, it says.
"Anyone using a version of Microsoft Windows is likely to have a dozen or more applications running simultaneously, including operating system functions, security resources, and user applications. Although many of the background functions and user applications may use very little of the processor’s resources, the user may still see some benefit from multi-core processors," the research firm says.
However, scientific modeling, gaming, and digital content creation can be demanding on the processor, but are just now being modified to handle two threads or processors.
Breaking an application down into more than two threads can become exponentially more difficult with diminishing returns. In addition, developing applications for two or more threads requires a new software development model, tools, and even engineers capable of managing a more complex software environment.
As a result, In-Stat says, the availability of such mainstream PC applications is likely to be years away.