The latest Pentium 4 processor uses parallel processing to run
applications faster or run two applications simultaneously, writes
Eric Doyle.
The 3.06GHz chip uses Intel's Hyper-Threading technology which
allows two programs, or threads, to operate at the same time,
effectively making the single Pentium 4 chip PC behave as though it
was a dual-processor model.
Many applications do not need 3GHz of processing power so
Hyper-Threading means that two programs can run independently
within the single chip.
For example, a security program such as an anti-virus checker could
run behind a spreadsheet or an e-mail application without the user
experiencing any reduction in performance.
Rather than running two applications, a single application can run
faster if the developer splits the code into two threads that can
be executed in parallel.
Rick Skett, Intel's director and country manager for the UK and
Ireland, said this can offer speed increases of 25% over normal
performance. Similarly, threaded operating systems, such as Windows
XP and Linux, will run faster.
With previous Pentium chips, running two applications
simultaneously could cause problems, especially if one required
constant data streams.
For example, transferring files to a recordable CD requires an
uninterrupted data flow and if this fails the process will abort
and the CD is rendered useless. Before Hyper-threading, the best
advice was to avoid running any other programs while burning a CD
because a peak in activity by the companion program could cause the
burn to fail.
With Hyper-threading, the two activities run independently and this
means that PC users become more efficient because they can continue
working while the CD is created.
Systems using the 3GHz Pentium 4 with its new chipset and Bios
include the Pavilion 793 from Hewlett-Packard and the Dimension
8250 and Optiplex business PCs from Dell. The price of a complete
system will be from $1,699 (£1,075).
The chip's price, in quantities of 1,000, is $637 each. The
previous top-speed Pentium 4 running at 2.8GHz is expected to fall
in price from $508 to $401.