[mythtv-users] What is a "dual core processor"?

[Shawn Flynn]

On December-04-08 11:33 AM, Matt Emmott wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 4, 2008 at 10:08 AM, Udo van den Heuvel <udovdh at xs4all.nl>
wrote:
> Matt Emmott wrote:
> > Wow, now I have no idea. How can I tell what my CPU is without taking my
> > box apart? I suppose I can look up my invoices from Newegg...
> Assuming you run Linux:
> 
> $ cat /proc/cpuinfo
> 
> 
> On Windoze you can run some non-m$ utilityto determine whatever type of
> CPU is present.
> _______________________________________________
> 
> As I said above (although I paraphrased), my cpuinfo gives me Intel(R)
Pentium(R) 
> D  CPU 2.66GHz, even though I'm 99% sure I purchased a "Dual Core Pentium"
when I 
> built the system. I was wondering if there was another way to tell.
> 
> As for Windows, you can run winmsd on OSes previous to Vista, or in Vista
you can 
> run msinfo32.exe and it will give you your CPUinfo. If you want rediculous

> granularity you can download siw.exe (google it) but the built-in Windows
stuff 
> should be verbose enough.
> 
> (I wonder if I'm the only full-time Windows admin on this mailing list
:-))
> 

Just google the Family, model and stepping info from from /proc/cpuinfo and
all will be revealed (probably). Although, given a model name of "Intel(R)
Pentium(R) D CPU 2.66GHz," I would suspect it is a Pentium D 805 [1]
(something like Family F, Model 4, Stepping 7). It is a dual core Netburst
(Pentium IV style) architecture chip. So yes, it would be a "dual core
Pentium" but not a "Pentium Dual-Core" [2] which is based on the "Core 2"
architecture.

And no, you aren't the only Windows admin here :)

[1] http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number/chart/pentium_d.htm
[2]
http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number/chart/pentium_dual-core.htm