Console Bliss

Most of us have heard of dual core computer systems, but how many of us have heard about quad core systems?  We have written several posts about how dual core technology works, but while quad core is similar, there are a few differences. 

The main difference between a dual core and quad core is that there are two separate die chips.  In a dual core machine, the two 64 bit processors fit on the same die and share the front side bus commands and operations.  In the quad core machines there are two separate dies with 2 processors on them, packaged into a multi-chip module. 

There are many chip manufacturers that make quad core cpu computer systems.  Some of the biggest are Intel and AMD.  Intel makes the core 2 chip and now have just come out with the Core i7 which is based on Nehalem microarchitecture.   The Core i7 is made for serious hard core gaming purposes.   There is also talk of another Intel chip called the Core i5 which is the brand name for Lynnfield which is making the chip.

Many people ask us which system we would pick if we did a quad core vs dual core match up.  In some cases a dual core machine may actually be faster than a quad core.  The things to look for at the processor speeds and the front side bus speed.  If you have a dual core machine with a front side bus speed of  1600 megatransfer rate compared to a quad core machine with a 533 megatransfer rate, the dual core would be much faster feeling.  The reason for this is that the bus is literally the size of the pipe as far as how much information can be sent through it.  If the processor can do a 1600 megatransfer rate and i fyouhave a bus that is 1600 megatransfer then the second the processor thinks it is sent to the rest of the computer.  Bus speed is the key to actual computer speed. 

On a quad core pc  system the processor speeds are about 2.4 ghz.  All the processors are 64 bit X86 transfer processors with the ability to handle a huge computer work load.  What kinds of applications or situations are required to benefit the most from a quad core pc system?

• PC Gaming – If you are a hardcore gamer that loves amazing, smooth, and fast graphics, you will definitely love a quad core machine.  With a quad core machine you will be able to play graphic intensive games that won’t lag, or change frame rate. 
• Business – Not all businesses need a dual quad core machine, however; companies that design or create animation sequences will absolutely love having a quad core machine.  For anyone that has ever worked with graphics or animation, you know that the computer has to render the sequence.  The time it takes to render these finished products will greatly be reduced if you have a computer that can split the work load between four processors.  Movie studios and government companies that specialize in animation and movie sequences absolutely use quad core machines, and even link up several quad core machines to get things done much faster. 

When i was in college, i was in a computer animation course.  3d programs like Maya or 3d studio max take up insane amounts of processor usage and speed to render scenes.  To give you an idea.  A 30 second scene could sometimes take 15 hours of rendering back in the day when the Pentium 4 machines were out.  Often our school room would link up 30 computers ot render these 30 second scenes in 3 hours instead of the normal 15.  As you can see the quad core machines can really process information much faster than the machines of old.