Two cores versus two processors

[yadmonkey]

As I type this, my dual processor 1gHz MDD is nearing its fourth birthday and I'm continually stunned by how well this thing performs, especially considering its age and how hard I work it. Having owned a single-proc 1gHz G4, the difference in multitasking alone has made me a firm believer in the benefit of a second processor.

But I wonder: are there advantages or disadvantage to having two cores on a single chip, as we've been seeing more recently? And is the leap to quad (dual duals) nearly as significant as the leap from one to two?

 

[bbrosemer]

As I type this, my dual processor 1gHz MDD is nearing its fourth birthday and I'm continually stunned by how well this thing performs, especially considering its age and how hard I work it. Having owned a single-proc 1gHz G4, the difference in multitasking alone has made me a firm believer in the benefit of a second processor.

But I wonder: are there advantages or disadvantage to having two cores on a single chip, as we've been seeing more recently? And is the leap to quad (dual duals) nearly as significant as the leap from one to two?

The advatages are higher from having multiple cores on the same chip, however the chips performance is limited in many respects, the FSB, the OS's ability to utilize multiple chips and cores, and the software's abitlity to utilize multiple cores, there is limited software that takes advantage of mutlitple cores and OS, however from what I have read leapoard is supposedly going to be the best so far at this consumer OS wise, however until software takes advantage of the multiple anything benefits are going to be few and far between. However like I said in the beginning multi cores is better then multi chips.

 

[DevilsRejection]

i bet if i sat you down in front of two machines, one labeled a, other b, and you had to figure out which one was dual core and which one was 2 single core processors, just by using the applications you use everyday, you would fail that test

 

[Counterfit]

With apps that need to use the FSB heavily, you'll notice a difference between two processors with separate 1GHz FSBs, and two cores sharing one 1GHz FSB. (Well, I think. I've never actually used either config )