At the beginning of the month AMD launched its latest budget processor, the Sempron 3400+. Also launched the same day was the Athlon 64 X2 3800+. The X2 in the title refers to the fact that the chip is dual-core which essentially means you’re getting two processors in one. Right now you have the choice between single core or dual-core but before long dual-core will become very much the norm.
It’s easy to understand why. After all, they say that two heads are better than one and eventually all applications will be coded specifically to make the best use of both processors. But as this conversation with Half-Life 2 developer Gabe Newell shows, it may be some time before games reap the benefits. Either way, dual-core is still a good thing as one processor can sit doing boring stuff like running anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software as well as other housekeeping tasks, while the other does more important things, such as delivering super realistic physics in the latest first person shooter.
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Aug 12, 2005, 08:02 PM
