Multi-core Processors

ALSO CALLED: Multicore Processors, Dual Core Processors, and Dual-core Processors
DEFINITION: A multi-core processor is an integrated circuit (IC) to which two or more processors have been attached for enhanced performance, reduced power consumption, and more efficient simultaneous processing of multiple tasks (see parallel processing). A dual core set-up is somewhat comparable to having multiple, separate processors installed in the same computer, but because the two processors are actually  … 
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MULTI-CORE PROCESSORS DEFINITION (continued): …  plugged into the same socket, the connection between them is faster. Ideally, a dual core processor is nearly twice as powerful as a single core processor. In practice, performance gains are said to be about fifty percent: a dual core processor is likely to be about one-and-a-half times as powerful as a single core processor.Multi-core processing is a growing industry trend as single core processors rapidly reach the physical limits of possible complexity and speed. Companies that have produced or are working on multi-core products include AMD, ARM, Broadcom, Intel, and VIA. Both AMD and Intel … 
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