Dual Core CPU Questions..

[curtisbouvier]

Just curious, If I have Windows XP Pro 64 bit edition. will everything thats 32 bit and coded for 32 bit run as it normally did on 32 bit windows? (basically all my older games like thief and delta force etc,)

If I stay with windows 32 bit, but a game supports 64 bit, will i be able to run it at 64 bit advantage or is everything locked at 32 bit becuase windows is 32 bit?

Also how does Dual core work exactly, if a game is made for single core cpu's, one cpu is idle while the other is on 100% load?

How does that work with windows software... does windows need to support dual core in order to take full advantage of it?

Which brings me to onother similer question... if windows doesnt support dual core.... and a game does.. will the game take advantage of it? or will the game be locked at single core becuase windows is locked at single core..?

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: curtisbouvier
Just curious, If I have Windows XP Pro 64 bit edition. will everything thats 32 bit and coded for 32 bit run as it normally did on 32 bit windows? (basically all my older games like thief and delta force etc,)

Most, but not all.

If I stay with windows 32 bit, but a game supports 64 bit, will i be able to run it at 64 bit advantage or is everything locked at 32 bit becuase windows is 32 bit?

You need 64-bit Windows. Not that you'd be giving up much.

Also how does Dual core work exactly, if a game is made for single core cpu's, one cpu is idle while the other is on 100% load?

Yes, or the OS offloads any other work it has onto the idling core.

How does that work with windows software... does windows need to support dual core in order to take full advantage of it?

Yes.

Which brings me to onother similer question... if windows doesnt support dual core.... and a game does.. will the game take advantage of it? or will the game be locked at single core becuase windows is locked at single core..?

Software can't utilize resources the operating system doesn't tell it about. All versions of Windows XP support dual-core processors.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Aluvus
Software can't utilize resources the operating system doesn't tell it about. All versions of Windows XP support dual-core processors.

XP Professional is the only version of Windows so far, that isn't meant to be used for servers, that supports dual processors. But, Aluvus is right. All versions of XP support a single dual-core processor. No previous version, except NT, did.

 

[curtisbouvier]

ahhh ok thanks for the information, helps alot hehe, so if i have a game running.. and i alt tab into windows, windows would probably use the other cpu instead of the one used for the game?

what exactly manages this resource and deside what cpu does what.. the cpu itself or windows ?

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: Aluvus
Software can't utilize resources the operating system doesn't tell it about. All versions of Windows XP support dual-core processors.

XP Professional is the only version of Windows so far, that isn't meant to be used for servers, that supports dual processors. But, Aluvus is right. All versions of XP support a single dual-core processor. No previous version, except NT, did.

First, XP is just another name for Windows NT 5.1. Second, XP Home doesn't support the second CPU of dual-proc systems.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: curtisbouvier
ahhh ok thanks for the information, helps alot hehe, so if i have a game running.. and i alt tab into windows, windows would probably use the other cpu instead of the one used for the game?

what exactly manages this resource and deside what cpu does what.. the cpu itself or windows ?

Pretty much, although "50%" CPU Usage doesn't necessarily mean 100% of one core...it could be switching back and forth between cores at context switches, but only one core at any specific moment in time (I believe this is what causes timing issues on dual core systems with older games, Unreal/UT comes to mind). Of course if you have the affinity for a particular task (like a game) set to a single core, then it will indeed work like you said.

In any case, the CPU just executes code really, the Windows task scheduler is what distributes the work so to speak...

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Slugbait

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: Aluvus
Software can't utilize resources the operating system doesn't tell it about. All versions of Windows XP support dual-core processors.

XP Professional is the only version of Windows so far, that isn't meant to be used for servers, that supports dual processors. But, Aluvus is right. All versions of XP support a single dual-core processor. No previous version, except NT, did.

First, XP is just another name for Windows NT 5.1. Second, XP Home doesn't support the second CPU of dual-proc systems.

I'm pretty sure what he said was correct...I had to read it more than once myself, but I think he's right. Windows licenses work by sockets instead of cores, so while XP Home will support a single dual-core CPU, it will not utilize two single-core CPU's in different sockets (or at least that's what I've read). XP Pro can use (I believe) up to two sockets, so four logical CPU's if each socket is filled with a dual core chip. Also, that article you linked to was from 2001...before any dual-core CPU's existed that I'm aware of (certainly on the consumer level anyway). So at the time, the only way to get a dual-processor system was to have multiple sockets, which XP Home doesn't (and wouldn't have) support(ed).

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
I'm pretty sure what he said was correct...I had to read it more than once myself, but I think he's right. Windows licenses work by sockets instead of cores, so while XP Home will support a single dual-core CPU, it will not utilize two single-core CPU's in different sockets (or at least that's what I've read). XP Pro can use (I believe) up to two sockets, so four logical CPU's if each socket is filled with a dual core chip. Also, that article you linked to was from 2001...before any dual-core CPU's existed that I'm aware of (certainly on the consumer level anyway). So at the time, the only way to get a dual-processor system was to have multiple sockets, which XP Home doesn't (and wouldn't have) support(ed).

I stand corrected...I should have read this thread more than twice myself.

I've looked around to be sure, and verified Synth is on the money: 5.1 Home does support both cores in a single-socket configuration.

 

[HannibalX]

It's all in the HAL guys.

 

[0roo0roo]

windows uses multiple processors. but most programs can't do the same...yet