If you've gone shopping for a new computer lately, you've almost certainly run into the term "dual-core." Dual-core is the term used to describe the new architecture of the computer's central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is the brains of the computer that gives it most of its speed and power. Imagine taking two of these brains and packing them onto one computer chip. You'd have one really fast machine, right? Of course, and this is the idea behind dual-core.
Traditionally, a computer has a single processor. In the past, if you needed a really powerful machine to run several applications, such as on a server, you could buy a motherboard that supported multiple processors. Then you would be required to buy each additional processor for a nice chunk of change. Theoretically, having multiple processors is great, but there are a few drawbacks that the use of dual-core processors solves.
Typically, a new architecture offers improvements over the predecessor, and the dual-core processor is no exception. Obviously, the most exciting feature of this architecture is that it fits two processors on one chip, but there are other features that are improvements over previously available technologies. Remarkably, a comparable system with a dual-core processor tends to slightly outperform a comparable system with two processors. For practically the same amount of processing power, you get a machine that will consume less power, generate less heat, generate less noise (if there are less fans blowing), and best of all, it will cost less!
The choice to develop a new breakthrough technology such as dual-core processors was not really a choice for manufacturers at all; it was a necessity brought on by the need for more processing power. Software applications are becoming more and more complex, and people are demanding more out of their PCs as they run handfuls of these applications at once, jumping back and forth from one to the other. The previous technologies were reaching their limits, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to pack more power into a chip without encountering some sacrifices or side-effects such as an increase in heat generation and power use.
Both leading CPU manufacturers, Intel and AMD, have their own versions of dual-core processors. There are likely many variations in their design, but the basic concept of the dual-core processor is the same. You can expect to see these chips develop into the new standard. At the same time, the manufacturers are using this technology to lay the ground work for future multiple core processors. Yes, quad-core processors are rumored to be in the works!
So what kind of performance benefits can you expect to see from a dual-core processor? Are all your programs going to automatically run twice as fast as before? Well, no, not quite. Not many applications out there will be written specifically to utilize the benefits of a dual-core processor system. The latest Windows operating systems, and most other major operating systems, will already take advantage of the dual-core environment. So your favorite game or word processor (that isn't written for dual-core) will only receive a slight boost in speed, but its appearance, as well as that of the rest of your computer, will be snappier. It will help smooth out those slight pauses or brief hang-ups you may notice every once in a while, particularly when you have multiple programs running at the same time. This occurs because the operating system has twice the cores (basically processors) to delegate the tasks to, and it can even designate an intensive program to a single core, leaving the other core to handle the rest of the computing tasks.
Bear in mind that we are assuming two comparable systems (such as one with a 2GHz single-core processor and the other with a 2 GHz dual-core processor) in the scenario described above. However, the typical consumer purchasing a new dual-core processor will notice a much greater difference in performance. If you are the average computer owner looking for a new computer, you will most likely have a very outdated beast of a system, with a fraction of the memory, horsepower, etc. If you trade this boat anchor in for a new dual-core system, you should see a world of difference. If you are in the market for a new computer, now is an excellent time to go shopping!
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