A pair of microprocessors
Intel introduced its first mainstream dual-core microprocessors, the Core 2 line, in 2006, marking a move away from the NetBurst architecture of the Pentium 4 line. Since then, Intel has also introduced a quad-core processor under the Core 2 line. Multi-core processors represent a sea change in the advancement of computing power, increasing it through added processor cores rather than faster clock speed.
What is a multi-core processor?
Using a multicore processor is similar to the practice of using multiple processors on a motherboard that has two or more CPU sockets. Before multicore processors, each CPU socket held a single processor. Now, a single CPU socket can accept a chip that has two or more integrated processors in a single package. This allows for the use of multiple processors without the added cost and design issues of a motherboard with multiple CPU sockets.
Advantages of a multi-core processor
With any single-processor CPU, only one operation can be done in any given moment. Some technologies, like Intel's HyperThreading, can give the illusion that two operations are being done at once, but this is actually done by alternating two operations between every other clock cycle on the CPU. A multicore CPU, on the other hand, can run as many operations in a single clock cycle as there are processors cores built on to the chip. This is useful during multitasking (running more than one program at a time) and when running programs that are designed to take advantage of the ability to offload extra jobs to the additional processors cores.
Core 2 Duo
An Intel Core 2 Duo processor is a multicore CPU with two processor cores. The two processors can talk directly to each other without going through the intermediate process of sending information to the motherboard. There are several different versions of the Core 2 Duo line, from low-voltage mobile chips, to the enthusiast-level Core 2 Extreme line. (The Extreme moniker is also used to describe high-end quad-core chips.) While they have fewer cores than their quad-core brethren, they tend to run at higher speeds. They also tend to have less on-board cache memory (2 to 4 megabytes.)
Core 2 Quad
The biggest difference between the Core 2 Duo and the Core 2 Quad is that the Quad, fittingly enough, has four processors cores. They usually have twice the on-board cache memory of the equivalent Core 2 Duo part. They also run at slower clock-speeds compared with the dual-core processors. In all other respects, the two lines are built on identical processes.
Problems with the Core 2 Quad
When considering a Core 2 Quad, keep one important thing in mind: Essentially, a Core 2 Quad is a pair of Core 2 Duo's glued together as a single CPU package. The two pairs of processor cores do not talk to each other directly, going through the motherboard's Northbridge control chip instead. A Core 2 Quad offers no advantage over a pair of Core 2 Duo's on a multiple-CPU socket motherboard.
Tags: Core Quad, Core line, processor cores, processors cores, cache memory, clock cycle