[AccessD] Multi-Core Processors

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Sat Jun 18 19:45:57 CDT 2011


Rocky,

The operating system takes care of it all.  Windows (or Linux) has waaaaaayyyy more threads running 
at a time that there are cores, regardless of how many cores you have.  The OS decides what core to 
run a thread on.  Even applications such as Word may be multi-threaded, for example the spell 
checker in Word runs on its own thread to spell check the document in real time as you type in 
words.  Firefox has a thread looking things up on Google as you type.  Like that.

Open task manager and click the processes tab.  Every single one of those processes requires *at 
least* one thread.  So anyone who says more cores doesn't help obviously has no understanding of how 
multi-tasking works.


For my money, the more (real) cores the better.  4 real cores is better than 2, and is better than 2 
real cores and two hyper threads.  Of course 4 real cores and 4 hyper threads is better yet.

For my money, buy as many cores as you can afford.  A hex core with hyper threading will (currently) 
be the best you can get.  Kinda.  I have a server which has dual sockets which can each have a 12 
core AMD processor so I could have 24 real cores available if I could afford that.  I can't, but I 
do have a single 8 core processor.  I use that box for SQL Server.

Intel cores are (currently) faster and so it is misleading to directly compare AMD real cores to 
Intel real cores.

A quad core Intel with hyper threading is probably going to be faster than a hex core AMD without 
hyper threading *for most applications*.  For a SQL Server OTOH perhaps not.

For your case given that you are flush, go Intel i7 with as many cores as you can afford.  Make sure 
it has Hyper threading, though I think all i7s do have that.

You will be happy for a long while.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

On 6/18/2011 8:27 PM, Rocky Smolin wrote:
> Dear List(s):
>
> In order to take advantage of multi-core processors, do the applications
> need to be modified?  Or is it taken care of by the operating system or the
> chip?
>
> IOW, I start an access app, open an mdb, then I retrieve my email from
> Outlook.  Do those two apps run in separate cores theoretically improving
> the response time?  Does the Word doc I open then run in a third core (of a
> presumably quad core processor).
>
> And if I open the file open or save dialog box in an app like an Office app,
> does that run in a separate core?
>
> I'm trying to decide if I need/should get dual, quad, or hex core processor
> in a new comp.
>
> MTIA
>
> Rocky
>



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