Multi-core architecture has a single processor package that contains two or more processor "execution cores," or computational engines. Multi-core processors allow you to complete today's computing tasks more efficiently and will enable entirely new computing experiences, and the benefits apply to server and client platforms, as well as the home and enterprise environments. Multi-core capability can enhance user experiences in multitasking environments, namely, where a number of foreground applications run concurrently with a number of background applications such as virus protection and security, wireless, management, compression, encryption and synchronization.
In the home, you can be downloading a music file while editing your digital photos and your virus protection software can continue running seamlessly in the background. In the office, you can run that productivity application while the IT department's management software and virus protection software continue running seamlessly in the background. In addition to these scenarios, multi-core computing enhances multitasking where separate processor cores are assigned to the different functions the user wants to run concurrently, as well as multiprocessing where multiple cores are working on portions of the same function.
Increased computing capabilities : The obvious user benefit is this: by multiplying the number of cores in the processor, Intel dramatically increases the PC's capabilities and computing resources, which reflects a shift to better responsiveness, higher multithreaded throughput, and the benefits of parallel computing in mainstream applications.
Intel has been driving toward parallelism for more than a decade: first with multiprocessor platforms and then with Hyper-Threading Technology¹ (HT Technology), which was introduced by Intel in 2002 and enables processors to execute tasks in parallel by weaving together multiple "threads" in a single-core processor. But whereas HT Technology is limited to a single core using existing execution resources more efficiently to better enable threading, multi-core capability provides two or more complete sets of execution resources to increase overall compute throughput.
New benefits for both home and business : A multitasking scenario can be as simple as a home user editing photos while recording a TV show through a digital video recorder while a child—in another room of the house—streams a music file from the same PC. In a business setting, users could increase their productivity by performing multiple tasks more efficiently, such as working on several office-related applications as the system runs virus software in the background. Keep reading for specific scenarios.
In the digital enterprise : Today the steady increase in the density of systems in data centers is creating power and cooling challenges for many IT organizations. Part of the answer will be Intel® multi-core server platforms. By enabling a single processor form factor to serve multiple processor cores, these platforms will provide superior energy-efficient performance and scalability while remaining relatively constant in power consumption, heat and space requirements. As a result, more processing capacity can be concentrated into fewer servers. This means greater density and fewer servers to manage.
In the digital office : Multi-core processors hold the promise of continuing the enormous increases in computer performance seen over the last quarter century. What will this performance mean for office productivity? Graphic designers, for instance, can render images much more quickly on multi-core systems. The greater responsiveness of multi-core platforms translates into less waiting for everyone in the digital office. For people like stockbrokers this could literally mean dollars, as their computers enable more-informed investment decisions and faster trades.
In the digital home : The digital home, with ever-growing numbers of networked PC and consumer electronics devices, will increasingly depend on the multitasking capabilities of multi-core processors to handle the demands of orchestrating the different networked TVs, stereos, cameras, and other devices and appliances in the household. Multi-core is also taking gaming to a whole new level, and will also make multiparty gaming ubiquitous. Tomorrow's computers will be powerful enough to run multiparty gaming and collaboration on their own. No longer will games have to be housed in huge servers—they will be distributed across the Internet. That should enable greater proliferation and access, plus inspire new forms of games and collaboration.
For mobile users : Intel® Centrino® mobile technology has taken mobile computing to places we never dreamed of. Who would have envisioned working remotely in a coffee shop via Wi-Fi* just a few years ago? Adding multi-core processors to the mobile mix will expand horizons even more. Incredible new mobile technologies will enable doctors in cities to remotely diagnose patients living in isolated locations—and that's just one scenario. You can be sure there are others we haven't even dreamed of yet.
