what software programs currently available can take advantage of dual core cpu technology?

Question

For instance, the AMD Dual Core FX with hyperthreading thechnology. Are there software titles available that can truly take advantage of that processor?

Answer 1

Some Games actually take advantage of dual core technology.
Doom3 For instance. I remember reading this game test review wherein they compared a dual core intel vs an athlon CPU. Turns out Athlon64 was faster in almost every game except for Doom3 which ironically the most demanding game they tested among the other games they tested. Turns out that Doom3 was specifically made to take advantage of dual core technology. theres no guarantee though that all Games are gonna be published to take advantage of dual core.

As dual core was actually designed for Multi tasking. The CPU can actually process faster running simultaneous applications compared to non-dual core CPUs which in turn can run some programs faster than dual core if its not doing multi tasking.

Answer 2

Some of the higher end rendering programs do, Mathematica does, and you will see some speed advantage in single threaded apps, since programs can be split between threads (burning a disk while playing counterstrike is now possible).

On a side note-there will never be an AMD Dual Core FX with hyperthreading. Hyperthreading is a proprietary Intel technology which centers around duplicating the shift register and then doing some fudging to get a single core to run like two, based on the theory that a lot of cpu time is in fact wasted by having to wait for memory. AMD does not have the rights to build hyperthreading chips, and never will.

Answer 3

Your best bet would be any kind of 3D CG program. I.E. Maya, 3d Studio Max, Lightwave, etc. You could easily max a dual core processor in your workflow, or when rendering frames.