Two Core CPUs- Good or Bad for home users?

[Nubius]

I think the potential for performance increase with dual core is overrated when it comes to gaming.

what are you talking about, it's a known fact that dual cores are NOT for gaming so where are you getting the impression that theres an 'overrated increase' with them in gaming?

Dual cores is primarily for those who want to multitask with no problems....hell you could encode a DVD while playing a game and your game will run completely smooth whereas on a single core of course it'd take a major hit in performance.

Either way, any review you read concerning dual cores they blatently tell you it's not meant for gaming, nor should you expect any increases at all unless games start going multithreaded.

 

[madmunki]

Not what i meant. Is there a mobo that will hold 512 processors that the homeowner could afford? No, (well at least i've not seen one)

So far the home user is stuck with 2 core processing.

With a 4-processor mobo, that's 4 cores, which is better than 2 cores (dual core). That was my point. It IS affordable to the wealthy, Maybe $~10,000 for the entire setup. A fraction of the cost of a 512 processor super computer.

This thread is about HOME use, is it not?

A "weathly" home user isn't stuck with dual-core processing.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&oc=pe6800pad&s=biz
Install Windows 03 Server on this, and your favorite game.

The only difference in the machine you pointed out and a server was someone took a 4 cpu server and stuck it in a different case. Your 4-cpu still has to run windows 2003 server to take advantage of > 2 processors.

 

[DoomUK]

what are you talking about, it's a known fact that dual cores are NOT for gaming so where are you getting the impression that theres an 'overrated increase' with them in gaming?

Dual cores is primarily for those who want to multitask with no problems....hell you could encode a DVD while playing a game and your game will run completely smooth whereas on a single core of course it'd take a major hit in performance.

Either way, any review you read concerning dual cores they blatently tell you it's not meant for gaming, nor should you expect any increases at all unless games start going multithreaded.

In a nutshell. PC game engines aren't currently being programmed to specifically take advantage of multi-CPU/core technology. For sheer CPU horsepower in desktop games, the FX-57 rules the roost ATM, no arguements.

I know I might be talking b*llocks here, as I know little if nothing of the developers that are creating the titles for XBOX360 and Playstation 3, but I can guarantee that it'll be around 6-7 months before the developers take full advantage of the multi-core CPU archtecture used in these systems. Always happens, look at all the games consoles in the past; the hardware is great on paper, but new technology is difficult to tame it seems...

 

[madmunki]

what are you talking about, it's a known fact that dual cores are NOT for gaming so where are you getting the impression that theres an 'overrated increase' with them in gaming?

Dual cores is primarily for those who want to multitask with no problems....hell you could encode a DVD while playing a game and your game will run completely smooth whereas on a single core of course it'd take a major hit in performance.

Either way, any review you read concerning dual cores they blatently tell you it's not meant for gaming, nor should you expect any increases at all unless games start going multithreaded.

Games are going multi-threaded, and it's very easy to divide the game out to support multi-threading.

1 thread for UserInput
1 thread for rendering to the display
1 thread for AI
1 thread ....

This is why Xbox 360 has 6 threads, and the PS3 has 8 core threads.

Most games only use a single core thread because multi-core threads were not affordable to the home user. Why develope a game to take advantage of multiple cpus is less than 5% of your users have dual cpu systems? Now with dual-core coming out, and it's affordable, you will start seeing PC games taking advantage of multi core threads.

 

[TheHeadFL]

what are you talking about, it's a known fact that dual cores are NOT for gaming so where are you getting the impression that theres an 'overrated increase' with them in gaming?

Dual cores is primarily for those who want to multitask with no problems....hell you could encode a DVD while playing a game and your game will run completely smooth whereas on a single core of course it'd take a major hit in performance.

Either way, any review you read concerning dual cores they blatently tell you it's not meant for gaming, nor should you expect any increases at all unless games start going multithreaded.

If you bother reading the thread, there are people who are talking about "when games start to use multithreading".

God, you talk down to everyone. In every thread. Jesus christ, you talk down to me like I don't already know what SMP is for. I'm well aware of the benefits and drawbacks of SMP.

However, that being said, there are *some* advantages to multi-threading in gaming, once the engines are finally written to explicitly take advantage of it. Specifically, for example, a lot of physics calculuations involve definite integrals which are a prime candidate for SMP, since estimating integrals is an easily divisible problem.

 

[Nubius]

lol 3 people in a row who quote me, funny stuff.

If you bother reading the thread, there are people who are talking about "when games start to use multithreading".

God, you talk down to everyone. In every thread. Jesus christ, you talk down to me like I don't already know what SMP is for. I'm well aware of the benefits and drawbacks of SMP.

I hardly even post here any more, and the times I do come in, generally it's someone posting some useless or assanine information.

No I didn't read the posts about people talking about dual core for gaming, I was basing my comment off the title of this thread, the first few comments I saw, and then your comment which made it sound as if people were saying dual cores gave you an increase for gaming.

Chill the hell out child as this isn't the first time you've got all up in arms over stupid crap.

 

[TheHeadFL]

You can't even not be a jerk in your reply, calling me a "child". Maybe you ought to give respect a try.

 

[4W4K3]

You can't even not be a jerk in your reply, calling me a "child". Maybe you ought to give respect a try.

It's a figure of speech, get over it. Ever hear black women call people child? Even people older then them! It's not disrespectful, just a figure of speech.

 

[madmunki]

"child" is disrespectful. Calling someone a child is the same as calling them adolescent or immature.

 

[gaara]

Simmer down people