the only reason i'm asking is because an asymmetric OS uses only one core in a multicore cpu to run itself; all the instructions and threads relating to the OS will be processed by one core, so it leaves the other core (or other 3 cores when quad-core comes out) free to do applications. and since most games today can only take advantage of one core, an asymmetric setup seems to be more efficient bcuz a highend game can use the full potential of a processor without having to share resources with the os. i'm not sure about this theory but it seems to make sense at the moment. and of course a symmetric OS is an OS which uses all cores evenly just to operate itself.