Making Two Work For One

Ykcirt

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Jan 12, 2010
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I have a Core2Duo laptop that runs the two cores at 1.5 Ghz. It's unfortunately my only available computer at this time. The older games I like to play are not written to utilize 2 cores, but I would very much like to see this happen somehow. A single 1.5 Ghz cpu just doesn't cut it for Morrowind.

I already tweaked the crap out of my Vista installation and the games in question, so I am really not looking for any more advise there. What I want to know is if there is any way to let 2 cores 'act like one' or 'form óne virtual CPU', or something else along those lines.

While I quite get that software should needs special instructions if it were to handle the CPU's directly, I don't get why you can't have some seperate Windows (or otherwise software) component to effectively multiplexe these cores to serve a single need. Is there anything at all I can do to put the 2nd, idle core to use in an old game that isn't optimized to use multiple cores?

Perhaps it's a moot point, but it feels wasteful and unfair. An upgrade in CPU technology shouldn't be a downgrade for my favourite old software.
 
Solution
Sorry, but chips don't work that way. If the program runs on only 1 core, having any more than 1 won't help. The newest intel chips are trying to dodge this problem by overclocking the single core that is running when the cpu detects its running a thread only designed for a single core.

{edit} actually it might be an OS thing. regardless, windows doesn't support it this way.

You might check somewhere to see if there are some faster replacement cpus for your laptop.

festerovic

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Sorry, but chips don't work that way. If the program runs on only 1 core, having any more than 1 won't help. The newest intel chips are trying to dodge this problem by overclocking the single core that is running when the cpu detects its running a thread only designed for a single core.

{edit} actually it might be an OS thing. regardless, windows doesn't support it this way.

You might check somewhere to see if there are some faster replacement cpus for your laptop.
 
Solution

Ykcirt

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Jan 12, 2010
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That is probably the best/only suggestion. Thank you. I know that *if* what I said would have been possible, someone would have made it happen already and I would have had no problem finding it myself. I just had to toss this ball against the wall at least once. Thanks for understanding.