Hyperthreading, Dual Cores, and Parallel Processing Tutorial: Dual cores refers to two microprocessors (CPUs) in one physical package (i.e. a single chip) which is the next step for HT Technology over the multiple logical processors on a single core package. This paper will show you how to detect Hyper-Threading Technology and Dual Core Technology for your parallel processing and cluster computing environments.

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Intel continuously improves the performance and functionality of its microprocessor. One of these improvements includes support for Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology, which provides more than one logical processor so that separate application threads can execute concurrently. However, even HT Technology is evolving and is now moving into the area of dual processor cores in a physical package, giving on even greater performance boost over the original HT Technology.

This paper discuses how to detect:

• Support by a processor for HT Technology
• The number of processor cores on a single package
• The number of logical processors per processor core and physical package

HT Technology

HT Technology allows a computer to execute two or more threads (depending on the specific processor) in parallel. While it does not necessarily double the performance of applications that take advantage of multiple threads, HT Technology can significantly increase the performance of the application. Usually a processor uses approximately 30 percent of its resources; however, by having two logical processors on a singe physical processor and using HT technology, the extra 70 percent of the processor’s resources can be utilized.

Dual-Core Technology

A dual-core processor is a single physical package that contains two microprocessors. The microprocessors share the same packaging and the same bus interface into the chipset and memory. However, they operate as distinct central processing units (CPUs), with the exception that they may share the higher level cache. Therefore, dual-core processors are the next logical step for HT Technology.



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