Intel Duo Core

[James D]

Now this will sound stupid to some out here, but it sounded good in theory,
but I think I was told a tale. I'm not real up to date with the newer
technology, but I do understand that the Duo Core technology WILL run a 64
bit OS when they get released. So, I recently purchased a laptop with the
Intel Duo Core Processor 1.66Ghz. When I asked the sales person "what" Duo
Core was, they told me that the "dual" core processing means that there is
actually two 1.66 processors in the system which make it run twice as fast.
So far, it's running slower than my P4 1.8 GHz in my desktop.

Can anyone shed any light on this mystery to "me"? Thanks.

 

[orsobubu]

You have to use programs specifically designed to run multiple threads
of computing, such as 3Dgraphics and video editing, and configure them
to use these multicores;
with standard programs, your 1,66 PC could beslower than the older 1,8
but you can also have other slower configuration you can improve

 

[JohnS]

Now this will sound stupid to some out here, but it sounded good in theory,
but I think I was told a tale. I'm not real up to date with the newer
technology, but I do understand that the Duo Core technology WILL run a 64
bit OS when they get released. So, I recently purchased a laptop with the
Intel Duo Core Processor 1.66Ghz. When I asked the sales person "what" Duo
Core was, they told me that the "dual" core processing means that there is
actually two 1.66 processors in the system which make it run twice as fast.
So far, it's running slower than my P4 1.8 GHz in my desktop.

Can anyone shed any light on this mystery to "me"? Thanks.

Yeah it doesnt mean twice as fast. It actually acts a lot like ONE
processor speed wise for many programs. Its just that you can
multi-task run several things at once provided there arent any other
bottlenecks like memory and harddisk access --- much better. Things
that hog your processor like compressing some files while doing
something else etc.

Some programs written to take advantage of dual core processors should
be faster but I doubt they would be twice as fast. Some graphics
rendering programs use it but its no where near twice as fast.

I havent checked but do dual cores use more power than singles? I
thought maybe they would be worse for laptops.

 

[kony]

Now this will sound stupid to some out here, but it sounded good in theory,
but I think I was told a tale. I'm not real up to date with the newer
technology, but I do understand that the Duo Core technology WILL run a 64
bit OS when they get released. So, I recently purchased a laptop with the
Intel Duo Core Processor 1.66Ghz. When I asked the sales person "what" Duo
Core was, they told me that the "dual" core processing means that there is
actually two 1.66 processors in the system which make it run twice as fast.

It can never run twice as fast, but if a task had multiple
threads (like Photoshop, etc, other high end apps optimized
for dual CPUs) or you had simultaneous realtime performance
needs from at least two separate applications, THEN the dual
core CPU is going to provide a more responsive system to the
end user, maybe more performance but not typically for the
kinds of tasks people run on notebooks.

So far, it's running slower than my P4 1.8 GHz in my desktop.

Can anyone shed any light on this mystery to "me"? Thanks.

Well it shouldn't be running apps slower but the user
interface and file I/O (including load times) may be slower.
Does the desktop use WinXP or an older version of windows?
That can account for some of it but a laptop has an
inherantly slower HDD.

You have not provided complete, concise specs on the systems
you are comparing, not even where "it's running slower", or
the environment. On most laptops, merely unplugging the AC
cord slows them down but we have no idea if you are
considering this factor.

The laptop might have more or less memory, more or less OEM
junk running in the background to usurp the memory and some
CPU time. Far too many variables to consider.

In short, Core Duo is not as important as some things on a
laptop, BUT buying a laptop with it may be a sign you are
getting a newer model of laptop, or at least not an old
model. Like anything else laptops evolve and a newer model
will tend to be more desirable than an older one, *all else
being equal* which it can't be, but given same budget or
product tiering will usually be true.

The best way to speed up your new laptop is probably to do
the following:

- If it doesn't have at least 512MB memory (or 1GB if you
do big jobs or heavily multitask) as two modules, install a
2nd matching memory module. This is even more important if
it uses integrated video without a separate display cache.

- Check it's hard drive specs. If it uses a 5400 or lower
RPM drive, consider replacing that with a larger and higher
RPM drive.

- Reduce the OS and apps' footprint. When an OEM notebook
ships out there is a lot of unnecessary junk (to most users)
running on it. You could uninstall things one at a time,
kill unnecessary Services, and get newer drivers for
everything, OR just format the hard drive and do a fresh
"normal" install of WinXP instead of an OEM restoration. It
can also help to partition off part of the hard drive first,
so all the OS and application files stay close on the faster
part of the hard drive.

Personally, I tend to be less concerned with a laptop's
performance than it's battery life. Maybe someday a laptop
with 2 year old battery can manage to run a full 8 hours
between charges, but right now the modern laptop battery run
time seems ridiculously short to me.

 

[Stephen B]

I havent checked but do dual cores use more power than singles? I
thought maybe they would be worse for laptops.

The way they are optimized is that when less processor intensive tasks are being
performed, one processor effectively goes to sleep, thereby consuming less
power. In low power mode, conserving energy, you force the system to only use a
single core.
-steve

 

[DaveW]

You have been misled. The Duo Core CPU will run TWO processes faster than
your old single core CPU can. But a single process on the new Duo Core will
just run at 1.66 GHz, which is slower than your old 1.8 GHz CPU.

 

[James D]

Thanks. guess what I was referring to was a standard windows xp media center
OS and 51 MB RAM. I will get another 512 soon, just keeping initial costs
low. as far as "what" is slow, I was referring to the actual bootup process,
but after reading the replies here I can see why I would have misunderstood.
I know what the dual core was mainly built for and hope to get full
advantage out of it someday. just wishing now I got a bigger cpu *sigh*