A dual-core computer is a computer whose central processing unit has two cores. This technology allows to increase the productivity of its work to a large extent.
What is a dual-core processor
A dual-core processor is a processor with two cores on a single die. As a rule, each of the cores has a Net Burst architecture. Some of the dual-core processors also support Hyper-Threading technology. This technology allows processing of processes in four independent threads. This means that one such dual-core processor with this technology (physical) replaces or is equivalent to four logical processors in terms of the operating system.
So, each core of a dual-core processor has its own L2 cache of a certain amount of memory, as well as a shared cache with twice the memory. As a rule, the crystals on which dual-core processors are manufactured are about two hundred square millimeters in size with the number of transistors in excess of two hundred million units. It is worth noting that with such a huge number of elements, this processor, it would seem, should generate a large amount of heat and, therefore, be cooled accordingly. However, it is not.
The highest crystal surface temperature is about 70 ° C. This is due to the fact that the voltage supplying the processor does not exceed one and a half Volts, and the maximum value of the current strength is one hundred and twenty-five Amperes. Thus, an increase in the number of cores does not lead to a significant increase in power consumption, which is very important.
Advantages of computers with dual-core processors
The need to increase the number of processor cores arose when it became clear that further increase in its clock frequency does not lead to significant improvements in performance. Computers with dual-core processors are aimed at using applications that use multi-threaded information processing. Therefore, the use of such a computer is not possible for all programs. Programs that use the capabilities of two cores include, for example, programs for rendering three-dimensional scenes, programs for processing video images or audio data. Also, a dual-core processor will benefit when several programs are running simultaneously on a PC. In this regard, such processors are usually used in computers designed to work with graphics, as well as to work with office programs. Thus, for gaming needs, this second core technology is almost useless.
