Duel/Quad core processor support.

[NanoWarrior]

I remember in the past when duel core processors were first coming out and most apps did not support them. Instead these apps only used a one core off the the duel core processor. I have not been keeping up with the support list and am wondering how widely supported are these duel or quad core processors these days? Especially in computer games.

I was considering upgrading my processor. Right now I have an AMD athlon 64 3700+ single core. If I were to buy a duel core for example that was 6000+, it would obviously be better, except if an app doesn't even support duel core, the duel core processor would be acting as if it were a 3000+, which feels low and would be slower working than my current processor. It feels risky...

So how wide is the support?

Thanks

Also as a quick question, in a 32 bit system, the max RAM it can use is 2 gigs per app. Is this correct? I heard you need 64 bit processing running in order to get 4 gigs per app.

 

[FBR_BDavis]

Ok.. First thing's first..

32-bit XP and Vista will not support more than 3.25GB of memory.. You can physically have 8GB installed, but the OS will only see/use 3.25GB max.. There is no limitation that *I* am aware of on the usage one single application can have of that amount..

Concerning dual-core and quad-core CPUs, even if your preferred application does not specifically make use of multiple cores, your performance will still benefit from having multiple cores.. You can, if need be, manually set which core of the CPU an application is running on.. For older programs and games, this is sometimes necessary.. You move all applications to the first core, and put the program you want to run on the 2nd core by itself.. This will improve performance greatly in programs that don't directly support multi-core technology..

As for your single 3700+ vs. one core from the 6000+, the 6000+ will blow the 3700+ out of the water.. The cache on the CPU itself is a huge boost on the 6000+, and simply put, the technological advances from the 3700+ to the 6000+ are huge..

 

[NanoWarrior]

hmm, sounds good. Yeah, I remember hearing a bit ago from someone else here that 2 gigs per app was the limit on 32-bit XP. Best way to check I guess is simply to look at the task manager for the RAM usage. I wish I could upgrade, but at my feet is a heavy ball called cash...

 

[veg1992]

the 6000+ is two Cores running at 3.0ghz (no that doesn't mean add them together)

In a multi-threaded app it runs off both Cores, if not, then it uses one core, but most games/programs can use 2 Cores

 

[FBR_BDavis]

It should also be noted that many programs that were released either before or during the time that dual-core and quad-core CPUs were being released have been patched to take advantage of multi-threading.. This is especially true for a lot of games..