myths about quadcore phones

[Skel]

I came across this article last week, and thought it was interesting. I bring it here so I can verify how truthful it is.


http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...phones-unlocked/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Myth No. 4: More cores save battery

I suppose in certain cases this is true, in other cases this is false. If you multitask heavily, having a single core multitask vs dual core... I think the dual core will shine. It's kinda like copying files on a HD. If you run 2 copy tasks, the HD seek goes crazy. You don't double the time, you slow it down significantly more.

I think there's other cases where dual core will waste battery. I mean why stop at dual? Quad? Hexa? Octa? There's always proponents of 198347589x cores, but I'm pretty sure there's a realistic limit especially with today's software with where extra power consumption negates power savings.

 

[zerocool84]

Myth No. 4: More cores save battery

I suppose in certain cases this is true, in other cases this is false. If you multitask heavily, having a single core multitask vs dual core... I think the dual core will shine. It's kinda like copying files on a HD. If you run 2 copy tasks, the HD seek goes crazy. You don't double the time, you slow it down significantly more.

I think there's other cases where dual core will waste battery. I mean why stop at dual? Quad? Hexa? Octa? There's always proponents of 198347589x cores, but I'm pretty sure there's a realistic limit especially with today's software with where extra power consumption negates power savings.

Well even look at desktops, we've mostly been stuck with quad with the exception of the high end market. I think quad is where we will stop in the mobile market for a while and focus on optimizations like AMD and Intel have done for a while.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Most mobile phone Operating Systems are designed around doing very little multitasking, so I'd take a faster core over more cores any day.

 

[dagamer34]

Multiple cores are only as useful as the apps that take advantage of it, and I don't think most programmers ever need to be competent enough at multicore programming to get truly good at it, seeing as how they've only been out at the consumer level since 2005. And it's much easier to get it wrong than it is to get it right. Worse case scenario you somehow manage to peg both cores at 100% and end up wasting power.

 

[Mxster]

Well even look at desktops, we've mostly been stuck with quad with the exception of the high end market. I think quad is where we will stop in the mobile market for a while and focus on optimizations like AMD and Intel have done for a while.

I think you are right. I even think that quad core is where desktop and laptops will remain at.

"Smoked by Windows phone." Lol