dual core is plenty for that, most apps dont need more then 1 core to run, if you move all the excess bs to another core then your main core is free to run whatever, even mutithreded apps like games rarely use both cores 100%, and i multi task like a mad man on singel core at 3gz, never have slowdowns, well other then when i messed up and installed anydvd without unmounting a dvd image from daemontools, but that was an "oops" and took the system about 15min to work out(and let me unmount and remount the image)
OH, I won't disagree w/ that which you say, because largely you're right & yes, there are use patterns & apps (heavy disk I/O ones ARE killers & you note that) that have exceptions to YOUR rules, as well.
I guess my main point was "potentially" they could gain... note I used that very word.
Where do I think, in the future @ least, where folks will get the MOST out of this quad or more CORES ON THE CPU design? A COUPLE OF THEM, HISTORY BACKS ME ON BOTH REALLY, CHECK IT:
1.) When more & more service daemon type apps will be run, both on the OS itself & applications loaded on it.
You see more & more of this over time.
(E.G., as a backing example from history on Windows NT-based OS alone -> Windows NT 3.x had a FRACTION of the services present on XP &/or Windows Server 2003, for example - I think this number will continue to increase as time passes, as it has historically already for coming up on 2 decades now).
&
2.) Also, as things like AntiVirus &/or AntiSpyware resident programs databases for detection get larger...
(Programmers possibly CAN help offset this SOME, imo, by programming what is known as a datastructure (to represent MANY elements (virus/malware sigs) as 1 single variable), but it is NOT a "Cure All" imo... takes memory & more the larger it gets, & all those DO is get larger! The larger it gets, the more CPU cycles it will take to run thru the added signatures for detection as well!)
ALL @ THE HOME/END-USER LEVEL, as well as the enterprise work-environs. Not just "heavy multitasking end users" will gain from this, by being to run MORE backgrounded tasks (like services &/or trayicon resident apps) @ once, simultaneously, & smoother than before (being able to run FAR MORE of them @ once, if needed).
* ANYHOW/ANYWAYS: Whether folks need it or not, is totally up to the end user, & to justify the cost of such CPU's as well for home usage typical end-user use patterns.
APK
