In what way does it multitask better? Is it better responsiveness when doing heavy disk I/O? Or better responsiveness during 100% CPU utilization? I would assume that latter, if the speedup is due to the CPU being able to execute two processes or threads in parallel. Which kinds of programs does it make the biggest difference for?
Linux uses a preemptible kernel that makes it feel a lot more responsive than Windows, especially if you enable DMA for your hard drives. Though I know dual processors would make a difference doing parallel compilation in GCC (when it's possible). It's good to know I can get a dual core processor if I ever want one. I figure I'm likely to get at least as much benefit from switching from an IDE to SATA HD than from upgrading the processor, however I'm basing this on vague theoretical knowledge and not on empirical data. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of difference a 64bit processor makes; my guess is not much, but Gentoo is compiled architecture-specific so you never know.
Sage advice indeed.Originally Posted by Neel Hates Clout's Guts
Reply With Quote