How fast is your processor?

[ah-blabla]

websites with heavy Flash content, video decoding, audio encoding, Photoshop and other picture and video edit software, low-latency audio recording, leaving processing power to other tasks(only when the app doesn't take all the available threads though, dual-cores with multi-threaded apps suck when trying to multi-task)

I shun websites with flash since flash is extremely annoying (doesn't integrate properly with your browser, can't save passwords, no proper bookmarking, looks horrible etc. -- web sites should run mainly server side instead of offloading things to the user, and effects are much more efficient with ajax). Video decoding doesn't need a multi-core processor (I can watch films fine). I use Gimp and it works fine on single core, only some filters take a bit long to work, but I'm not a heavy user of photo stuff anyway (If your doing professional video and photo editing that's another thing, but I did say that this is for a __normal__ user). For low-latency audio recording your better using dedicated hardware, and multiple cores don't change the latency much, only the processing power of what is coming in. And multi-tasking definetely doesn't need multiple cores: I run firefox (3 windows, 30 tabs) + Kontact (mixed diary + email etc.) + KOffice + a few instances of kpdf and my system is still fast, despite me having 1 core and "only" 1Ghz. Most __normal__ users won't need to do the tasks mentioned, and therefore don't *need* to have such powerful processors.

If you're under windows that's a different story though. The same laptop under windows is almost unresponsive even with just a browser... There I can understand the need for multiple cores. If you don't have an efficient system then you'll have to compensate by getting a powerful system.

And just for perspective: I do have another pc at home with a modern dual core processor (can't remember exact specs, but its one of those E2200 processors): it hardly feels faster than my laptop in normal use, under windows it even feels slower.

 

[ichwar]

I shun websites with flash since flash is extremely annoying (doesn't integrate properly with your browser, can't save passwords, no proper bookmarking, looks horrible etc. -- web sites should run mainly server side instead of offloading things to the user, and effects are much more efficient with ajax). Video decoding doesn't need a multi-core processor (I can watch films fine). I use Gimp and it works fine on single core, only some filters take a bit long to work, but I'm not a heavy user of photo stuff anyway (If your doing professional video and photo editing that's another thing, but I did say that this is for a __normal__ user). For low-latency audio recording your better using dedicated hardware, and multiple cores don't change the latency much, only the processing power of what is coming in. And multi-tasking definetely doesn't need multiple cores: I run firefox (3 windows, 30 tabs) + Kontact (mixed diary + email etc.) + KOffice + a few instances of kpdf and my system is still fast, despite me having 1 core and "only" 1Ghz. Most __normal__ users won't need to do the tasks mentioned, and therefore don't *need* to have such powerful processors.

If you're under windows that's a different story though. The same laptop under windows is almost unresponsive even with just a browser... There I can understand the need for multiple cores. If you don't have an efficient system then you'll have to compensate by getting a powerful system.

And just for perspective: I do have another pc at home with a modern dual core processor (can't remember exact specs, but its one of those E2200 processors): it hardly feels faster than my laptop in normal use, under windows it even feels slower.

One side note: flash is fully capable of saving passwords and other user data now.

Also, you're only going to notice the speed difference between a dual core and a single core if you're using both cores. Even then, a single core clocked at twice the speed of a dual core is going to be more efficient.

 

[plecosword]

2.66

macbook pro

 

[panzerbandit]

Celeron 1200MHz

 

[kushelmex]

quad-core 2.33 ghz

 

[Brandon]

single core 2.2 ghz

 

[ichwar]

single core 2.2 ghz

Wow, did you transfer all your processor speed to your new car?

 

[Brandon]

No.

 

[callumacrae]

Awkward silence broken

Single core 2.4GHz

 

[palmettoexpress_ceo]

Current Laptop: Centrino 2 vPro 2.40Ghz
Home Server: Pentium 4 2.4Ghz
Home Laptop: AMD unknown model Dual 2.2Ghz....I think....

 

[callumacrae]

I have the pentium 4, too

~Callum

 

[ichwar]

I have the pentium 4, too

~Callum

I'm trying to devirus a p4 right here. And I'm realizing that I've quite forgotten how slow these things run. :|

 

[achilleasgr]

My processor is SO fast, that it runs windows vista well.
core 2 quad q6600.
(2.4 GHz and 4 cores)

 

[mr kennedy]

AMD Turion x2 ultra dual core @ 2.3 ghz

 

[mjserv]

Still running a Pentium 4 @ 1.7GHz with my old socket 478 . lol

 

[ruselrones]

Hi,Everyone

Computer technology keeps advancing at an amazing pace. Today's home computers have more memory, run faster and are relatively less expensive than computers from ten or even five years ago. Is there a way to measure how fast your computer is? You might think that you could tell simply from the processor clock frequency, but this doesn't tell the whole story.

 

[computerwis]

Mine is only 1.8Ghz.
Acer Computer.

 

[callumacrae]

Hi,Everyone

Computer technology keeps advancing at an amazing pace. Today's home computers have more memory, run faster and are relatively less expensive than computers from ten or even five years ago. Is there a way to measure how fast your computer is? You might think that you could tell simply from the processor clock frequency, but this doesn't tell the whole story.

We could start a thread for startup times? That would just embarrass Windows users though

~Callum

 

[naguissa]

Laptop: Turion64 MT30, 1600MHz
Ordinary PC: Athon 2200@1800MHz
TV-PC: Pentium 4 HT 3066MHz
Old laptop acting as home server: Pentium II 233MHz

 

[m3730r]

amd athlon 64 3500+ ... its old but it works :happysad: