What is dual-core technology?

Dual core technology refers to two individual microprocessors on a single die cast chip. This is essentially two computer processing units (CPUs) in one. The advantage of a dual core chip is that tasks can be carried out in parallel streams, decreasing processing time. This is referred to as thread-level parallelism (TLP). TLP is also possible on motherboards that can accommodate two separate CPU dies. When TLP is accomplished in a single CPU through dual core technology, it is called chip-level multiprocessing (CLM). In dual core CPUs, each microprocessor generally has its own on-board cache, known as Level 1 (L1) cache. L1 cache significantly improves system performance, because it is much faster to access on-chip cache than to use random access memory (RAM). L1 cache is accessed at microprocessor speeds. Dual core chips also commonly feature secondary shared cache on the CPU, known as Level 2 (L2) cache. Motherboards may also have a cache chip designated as Level 3 (L3) cache. ...  more

Asked in Computers & Accessories at 8:05 AM on November 23, 2008 Tags: dual, core, technology  more

Asked in Computers & Technology at 5:51 PM on June 21, 2007 Tags: dual, core, technology  more

Dual core technology is basically putting two processors in one shell. However, this does not guarantee that the user will get twice the performance in all areas by using this technology. Dual core processor is between a single core processor and a dual processor system for architecture. A dual core processor has two cores but will share some of the other hardware like the memory controller and bus. A dual processor system has completely separate hardware and shares nothing with the other processor. A dual core processor won't be twice as fast as a single core processor nor will it be as fast as a dual processor system. It will fall somewhere in the middle but there are going to be specific advantages.  more