by Nick N » Thu May 10, 2007 12:56 pm
There is no reason to put dual core into the system you currently run. You will want a dual core for a complete upgrade and unless you intend to wait until the end of the year or next spring to do a complete upgrade, you will want to switch over to an Intel Core2 system.
At the end of the year, but most likely next spring for full launch, AMD will be introducing the shotgun bus quad chipset which when paired with ONLY and R600 (ATi R600 or higher video cards only) will allow the GPU(s) to communicate with the all the CPU cores directly (2-4 or 8 core CPU, it matters not). The combination will change the entire 3D performance market. Both Nvidia and Intel have hinted they are also working on system that will have similar properties however AMD has already displayed in back in February where they successfully tested a home size tower that turned out over 1 teraflop in calculation. To give a perspective, that speed is only found today in mainframe computers.
The next year will be bringing performance innovations to the 3D market, the likes that have never been seen
So if you are in the market to replace your entire system now or very soon, there is no reason for you to buy an AMD dual core for the rig you currently use unless you are willing to accept a small boost and nothing huge.
FSX SP1 was mainly designed to apply multithread instruction to the software. Therefore those using dual core processor will have a much greater advantage in FSX than single core. FSX will still be considered a single thread application since it is not a complete multithread write. Single cores will also see the advantages in SP1 because of the changes in how the software addresses the CPU all the way around.
One other thing.. when you change from a single to a dual core it is always best to wipe out the disk and reinstall Windows on the dual core. The success of simply switching the CPU from single to dual and get the full potential of it in the OS is hit and miss. Those who go from dual to single do not seem to have any issues, only upgrading.
Also, the BIOS of the motherboard you are using MUST be designed for the dual core model you wish to use or you may not be able to boot, or if you boot, the system may not work correctly. Most modern motherboard replacements will recognize them without issues but trying to do something like that with an e-machine, may not be a good idea unless you know for a fact the motherboard and BIOS support the model of dual core CPU you wish to use.
If you find the system will support a AMD dual core upgrade, then you can expect FSX enhancements using a dual core with SP1, but do not expect a miracle change going from single to dual on that system. Upgrading the motherboard, memory and dual core would net a much better yield over simply replacing the slug.
Last edited by
Nick N on Thu May 10, 2007 1:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
