Dual-cores - does the MacBook Pro come with them fully optimized?

[pdinstardom]

Hi,

I have a dual-core MacBook Pro and in a nutshell my question is whether the cores work well in managing different programs - do they function well together and make full use out of both cores? Or is this an issue?

If this is an issue and I could be getting better benefit out of having a system with two cores, please let me know how I can do this.

Thanks!

Best Regards,

~Patrick

 

[otispunkmeyer]

im not sure this is really related to the actual machine itself.

i mean theyre all intel machines, with intel chipsets and both of these can also be found on windows based laptops as well, so they have equal potential

really this is more a question for the OS forum, since its the OS that is in charge of issuing commands to hardware.

your question really should be "is OS X optimized for dual core?" to which most people here will tell you, "yes, yes it is"

dual core has been around for a while now so i would be suprised if the guys working on the apple OS's hadnt gotten a good grasp on how to use them effectively.

also core utilization also depends on who made the program... some complex programs are still built to run on single core's only.

in short, the optimization for dual core really lies first with the dev's who produce OS X and then with the 3rd party dev's producing additional software.

EDIT: if im reading right your kinda assuming that two seperate cores will work better than a single, dual core chip? i dont think thats right at all. they'll be the same, and if anything the dual-core will edge the win because it likely enjoys lower communication latencies.

 

[Insulin Junkie]

What the user above me said. Though I'll point out that I have heard that a lot of [third party] software isn't optimized for dual core yet, it really depends on the software, but the way I understand it quite a few software developers are 'lagging behind' here. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Fabiano]

based on my experience I think there is still much wasted power on dual-cores.
For example, when I use handbrake to rip a movie, it doesnt use more than 50% of each core on my penryn 2.4 MBP.

 

[pdinstardom]

Thanks for your replies. I was talking about one chip with 2 cores like my MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo.

Yeah, from what I've read previously and here, it depends on the software maker to optimize their software for dual core usage. Thanks for the clarification in that area, it makes sense obviously.