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A multi-core processor uses two or more cores to handle data, increasing speed and allowing for multitasking. Programs must have simultaneous multi-threading technology to take advantage of it. Heat management is a challenge and not all programs can use it.
A multi-core processor is an integrated circuit that uses two or more individual processors, or cores, to handle data. The cores can be connected to an integrated circuit or incorporated into separate dies in a chip package. Each core has its own cache and each has a separate capacity to process data.
The benefit of a multi-core processor is increased speed. A traditional single-core processor stores some data in its cache, and when data outside the cache is required, it must be fetched from other places such as random access memory (RAM). When this happens, the processor speed slows down to the maximum speed of the RAM or other storage device. This speed is typically much slower than the maximum processor speed.
Multi-core processors are faster because each core can handle its own data flow. While multi-core processors continue to selectively cache data and retrieve uncached data from other storage locations, the additional core or cores can continue to execute commands and receive information at normal processor speed while another processor it is retrieving necessary information from slow storage devices. This way, the whole system doesn’t have to slow down while recovering data.
A multi-core processor is especially valuable for multitasking, where more than one program each serves its own set of data for processing. Separate data streams can be handled by different cores, increasing overall processing speed. For a single software program to take advantage of multi-core technology, it must have simultaneous multi-threading technology (SMT) that allows it to send parallel sets of instructions to be used by multiple cores.
The first commercially available multi-core processor was the dual-core processor. There are also multi-core processors with four, six and eight cores. Many motherboards, however, cannot handle that many cores. Multi-core systems can be homogeneous, using all identical cores, or heterogeneous, using non-identical cores.
While multi-core processors are meant to increase overall speed and performance, not all programs take advantage of multi-core processing technology. Many programs and even some operating systems lack the SMT needed to use more than one processing core. Operating systems that use multi-core processing are not always designed to maximize the potential of multi-core processing, so full processing capacity is often not realized.
A multi-core processor tends to produce more heat than a single-core processor, causing heat management issues. The amount of heat a processor produces tends to increase exponentially with each additional core. High temperatures can cause processors to overheat, creating operational issues and security risks. Processor manufacturers have had to invest significant time and technology in creating solutions to the thermal challenges presented by multi-core processors.
