Multicore speeds perfoming tasks.

[PaddyBaptiste]

Hi all,

Just a general "Basic" answer required here if its possible!

We use software in work called Windes, I don’t think it is made for multi core systems.
My question is, will this run quicker on a single core machine than a duo or quad core?
A collegue keeps looking at the task manager performance graph when executing calculations and it is only using 50% of the CPU. He has a duo machine, If I run the same process I only use 25% of the cpu.

I know this sounds stupid, but is the PC/CPU using all the processing power availible if it is only running one task, or should we simply be using a single core machine to perform these calcs for highest performance?

I haven’t had time to run comparisons as the calcs take upto an hour and we had deadlines to meet.



Thanks



Brian

 

[pjumpleby]

even if the application you are using isn't multithreaded, other programs you have open maybe and will be able to make use of the other core and not "block" your application from executing.

 

[PaddyBaptiste]

Thanks for the reply,

That is mostly what I understood.

But If I am only running one program (And the OS which is XP Pro) is the rest of the processor sitting there doing nothing. so there is no benefit in having the multi core?

 

[amnotanoobie]

Trouble is, Intel and AMD aren't making any decent and fast single-cores anymore. The single-core cpus of today are reserved for the low-end.

For your case, a high-clocked dual-core might be the lowest thing you should run your app. Your app might not use the other core, but at least it'd be responsive enough when you want to do something else with it.

 

[PaddyBaptiste]

hmm, I will need to speak to our IT department and see what they have on offer! Thanks for the replies.

 

[Dekasav]

Though, if it's only single-threaded, you might be able to run two of whatever calculations you need to run at once (on a dual-core machine). Hence making each one take the same amount of time, but if you had say, 6 hour-long calculations to make, you could run 2 at a time and finish in only 3 hours.

 

[PaddyBaptiste]

Unfortunatly the software is to do with drainage design so the calcs all follow on from each other, (Mainly to do with checking flow through pipes, capacity of the pipes water levels and flooding. To do as you suggest would require the software to be rewritten, I think it is a planned future upgrade but its a long way off at the moment.