Your main computer/gaming computer?

[Zor Prime]

Primarily the reason for dual cores in the general consumer market is AMD & Intel trying to one-up each other to gain market share.

They're aware Billy Jean & Bubba Brown have enough smarts to realize that "dual" is better than "non-dual", thus, buy their product!

People who can actually use the dual cores (whatever their application) benefit of course.

Like I built a new box for my mother over a month ago.  And before I did my dad (who is more of a mechanic than PC person by far) comes up to my talking about "dual cores".  I had no idea he even knew of the term.  Obviously some PR ads got to him.  But he was very resolute in that I needed to build his wife / my mother a dual core box, because 2 is better than 1 and all.

So Intel & AMD pretty much have no choice BUT to make dual core processors.  Or their share holders will get a noose around their respective CEO.

Quad core is out now.  WooWoo.

Mind you we have had multi core CPU's for a while now, but not for the "average consumer".

Gonna use much of it?  For programs maybe like distributed.net RC5 and perhaps eloquently multi threaded applications.

Just a matter of time until 8-core processors are common.

Yea there are limitations on how fast you can make current processors, a certain threshold that cannot be crossed despite how efficient you build your processors.  But I've also been reading news articles where some of these issues are being addressed.  But it takes time to get new manufacturing processes on the assembly line, and/or complete research.

[Hobo Xiphas]

Multi-core processors make me laugh.

I run into memory limitations much more than processor limitations.  Only the most hardcore of computer users really need them!

HP Pavilion with 512MB RAM, 160GB HD, onboard sound and onboard 128MB graphics cards.

That's almost exactly what I have, you don't really need more than that for everyday use.

[Kitsunexus]

Multi-core processors make me laugh.

They make me DANCE!

"Multiply Your Productivity" ("Different Sound" by the Teddybears)

I <3 that song...

[FM-77]

The world has gone ****** mad! I've been looking for 1,26GHz PIII processors, and they're freaking expensive! People are fools! Why would anyone besides me want such old junk?

By the way, I sold my old crap Socket A motherboard (mentioned on the first page of this thread) today for 60 dollars!! Further proof that the world has gone mad. Again, why do people buy old crap? For TONS of money, no less... I just don't understand. 

[Kitsunexus]

The world has gone ****** mad! I've been looking for 1,26GHz PIII processors, and they're freaking expensive! People are fools! Why would anyone besides me want such old junk?

Why do you need them? Are you making a render farm?

[FM-77]

A friend needs a bad computer, and a PIII 1,26 GHz is bad enough. Anything weaker than that is just torture to use.

[Kitsunexus]

Bad as in rapper bad, or bad as in "rotten meat in a dumpster bad"?

As far as the latter catergory goes, I have my family's old computer in my room, a AMD K6-2 300MHZ with a cracked version of 98SE (and the unofficial service pack), 128MB of RAM, a 3GB hard drive and a Voodoo 2.

However, it still plays DOOM, Quake 2, Vigilance and ZSNES, it still runs my MOD trackers, it still functions as a word processor when I need to do my homework, and believe it or not, it's what I use when I need to burn CDs.

Really, the only thing obsolete is the word "obsolete" itself. I'd paraphrase one Youtube video I uploaded, but why I don't I just link you instead? (It's only 11 seconds long):

[FM-77]

I would never voluntarily run Doom, Quake 2, Vigilante, ZSNES or MOD trackers. I don't even burn CDs.

[Kitsunexus]

I would never voluntarily run Doom, Quake 2, Vigilante, ZSNES or MOD trackers. I don't even burn CDs.

It's Vigilance, dumbass. A great SEGASoft 1st/3rd person shooter that got sadly overlooked.


And I burn CDs of DOS game ISOs...my music is stored on a Creative ZEN Sleek Photo.

Speaking of music, I'm an aspiring musician, and when I can't get on ACID 7, I use my MOD trackers to sketch out ideas...

And DOOM, Quake 2, and ZSNES are fun. Pure blissful fun.

Now that I've justified myself to you....well...I feel like....! (and no, that is NOT me...although I wish I had such a lovely singing voice).

[SignOfZeta]

My only computer is a Mac Mini. 1.42 mhz w/ 1GB of RAM. Not very exciting, sorry. Basically I hate any modern computer game I can think of, but I do like emulating PC Engine, and SNES and this little guy does that just fine. Overall, pretty boring computer. I make music with it and do a lot of internet stuff.

What is interesting though, IMO, is this picture:



This is my Mac sitting on top of my friend's super fast gaming machine. That huge blue silo on the left is the external portion of the computer's liquid cooling system. The contrast is, IMO, humorous.

I basically think that any computer with a window on the side of it is about as tasteful as a sequin encrusted leotard, but I sort of have to give credit to this huge liquid cooled deal because its *very* *quiet* for a high end gaming machine. Usually, most of the gaming machines I've seen have enough thrust from the 50-odd fans in them that they can almost levitate. This thing only has one fan it it, the one in the power supply, so its really really quiet.

...not as quite as the Mac Mini though...

[FM-77]

I agree, pcs are generally super ugly, especially when they have a window on the side. I built a Shuttle for a friend recently, and it is awesome. Very powerful (plays Oblivion with no problems at all), extremely quiet and super sleek. Not as sleek as those Mac minis though.

[Necromancer]

Multi-core processors make me laugh.

I run into memory limitations much more than processor limitations.  Only the most hardcore of computer users really need them!

Nearly everyone will see an improvement in speed with a multi-core processor, as Windows and OSX are capable of distributing threads to more than one processor.  Go to Tom's Hardware and compare two similar processors with the same clock speed, bus, cache, etc.  Regardless of the benchmark chosen, the dual-core processor will be quicker (although not always by a wide margin).  Admittedly, some computer users don't need this power, but that is true of any newer processor regardless of core count.  Digital video editing, audio conversion, and gaming are pretty common computer tasks that will certainly benefit from the additional processing power of dual-core.  It's not 'hardcore' to use a computer for more than e-mail and internet surfing.

Interesting pic SignOfZeta - Mac really meant Mini when they named that thing.  That's probably what a computer would look like if Hudson was building modern computers.  I can't understand the whole case modding thing.  I'm far more interested in what's on the screen than pretty lights inside the case.

[Keranu]

I prefer this computer:

[Necromancer]

Bad ass Tandy 1000 with 8mhz of blazing 286 power - unfortunately, no blast processing.

[Hobo Xiphas]

Admittedly, some computer users don't need this power, but that is true of any newer processor regardless of core count. Digital video editing, audio conversion, and gaming are pretty common computer tasks that will certainly benefit from the additional processing power of dual-core.  It's not 'hardcore' to use a computer for more than e-mail and internet surfing.

How many people other than super nerds or apple hipsters do video editing and audio conversion?  As for gaming, most PC gaming isn't my bag anymore.  I'll take Civilization IV, but that's about it.  And it needs more memory than ridiculous processing anyways.

I'd hate to tell you this, but most people use computers for productivity software and communication.  You don't need parallel processing for those things as they aren't that CPU intensive.

I prefer this computer:

I like your style.  I'll take your Tandi and raise you an Amiga.