- Aug 21, 2002
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Now that games can fully utilize 2 cores (UT3 Demo), do we need quad core processors to be able to do stuff like encode in the background while gaming?
Post your thoughts.
Post your thoughts.
So now that games can fully utilize 2 cores...
- Thread starter Jeff7181
- Start date
If an application can peg two cores, then a third core would improve performance as it could handle all the windows task. But, in general, I would say no, because most applications outside of encoding/decoding will not use 100% of each core...
But it did occour to me that perhaps the small performance increase seen from 2 t o4 cores in these new game engines is due primarly to a 3rd and 4th core handling background tests...
myocardia
Diamond Member
- Jun 21, 2003
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Funny that you mention that, because I also considered it, and came to a different conclusion. Remember how much UT3 likes cache? What if the demo isn't quad-core-enabled at all, but it was using cores #0 & 2? That would give it twice the usable L2 cache as the 4MB dual-core.
And to the OP, yes, you would need a quad-core, to be able to do something that was cpu-intensive (like encoding), while using any dual-core capable game, not just UT3.
Id say less than a year.
Supreme Commanders new expansion comes out soon, Alan Wake is well on its way.
Theres another handful of titles coming out that will at least partially support it.
well for most games that use dual cores, the thread that is just doin gphysics or sound is probably not fully loading the cpu its using.... so i figure background processes would still be ok...
if you well wanted to say reencode divx at the same time as playing then ok maybe quad or more would make a difference.
if you well wanted to say reencode divx at the same time as playing then ok maybe quad or more would make a difference.
- Aug 21, 2002
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/sigh
Ok then...
Now that games can fully utilize 2 cores (UT3 Demo), do we need quad core processors to be able to do stuff like run background processes that require CPU time?
In other words... is it necessary to have extra cores available to do the processing, or is just having multiple cores to balance loads enough?
Obviously 4 cores can process more data than 2 cores, all else being equal. But without regard to the amount of work that gets done, are 2 cores enough to ensure the foreground task doesn't slow to a crawl because of another task? That's the biggest difference I noticed when switching from a single core to dual core processor. It seems even with both cores at 100%, my foreground application doesn't take nearly as big a performance hit as it did with a single core when another process needs CPU time.
taltamir
Lifer
- Mar 21, 2004
- 13,576
- 6
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about the only advantage I have been having with duel core... is the rapid increase my in seti@home rank...
As for "when can games utilize multiple cores"...
the answer is some years ago... but CAN do DO are different things...
Most games aren't gonna BOTHER writing the code for more then two cores just like most games haven't bothered to write code for working with physics cards... They just don't deem it valuable enough to performance and widely enough spread among the consumer base to bother with it.
Seeing as single cores are now phased out (dates have been announces for discontinuation of production) it is now the time to develop games that are duel threaded... in a year it will probably make sense for quad threaded games...
But seeing as you probably meant "when can I expect to be able to buy games that will take advantage of my quad core machine" then the answer is within a year, probably.
As for "when can games utilize multiple cores"...
the answer is some years ago... but CAN do DO are different things...
Most games aren't gonna BOTHER writing the code for more then two cores just like most games haven't bothered to write code for working with physics cards... They just don't deem it valuable enough to performance and widely enough spread among the consumer base to bother with it.
Seeing as single cores are now phased out (dates have been announces for discontinuation of production) it is now the time to develop games that are duel threaded... in a year it will probably make sense for quad threaded games...
But seeing as you probably meant "when can I expect to be able to buy games that will take advantage of my quad core machine" then the answer is within a year, probably.
I'm wondering how many cores do we get to before we get to the point of having too many cores and not getting any extra benefit from all those extra cores? 2? 4? 8? I heard we'll have 8 core procs by end of 2008 or beginning of 2009. I'm just wondering at what point does Intel & AMD say, "okay, adding more cores isnt giving users/developers anything extra so we need to come up with something new and different in our design"
Anyone have thoughts as to where we reach saturation of multicores? If we ever do?
Anyone have thoughts as to where we reach saturation of multicores? If we ever do?
I just started monitoring UT3 to see my cpu usage(5600+ at 3.15) is running between 97 and 100% at all times! I can see how a stock clock e2XXX or e4XXX can be a bottleneck in this case even on a 7900gs at 1680x1050.
Erm, encoding whilst playing cpu-intensive games? You'd have to be running with at least 4gb of memory to do that ... Not everything is cpu dependable. You're going to need the ram and the HD to keep up with your CPU. We won't be able to do a million tasks at the same time, we are going to be able to do some tasks at the same time, at continously increasing speeds, but even those increasing speeds will hit a brick wall sooner or later. I wonder when tbh, 8 cores ? 16 ?
biostud
Lifer
- Feb 27, 2003
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I guess you don't count, Quake IV, Supreme Commander, UT3 based games, Crysis and several others as games that can use multiple cores.....
here are some examples of what happens when using multiple processors:
http://www.tomshardware.com/20..._processing/page5.html
maybe because F@H is running in low priority, so as soon as another application uses the CPU F@H are down-prioritized.
myocardia
Diamond Member
- Jun 21, 2003
- 9,291
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That's good, you quote him saying "games will be taking advantage of quads within a year", then link to a couple of games that show a slight advantage with a dual-core, over a single core, with one of them somehow having lower fps than the single core.:laugh:
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