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Not All Cores Are Created Equal

Posted by kdawson on from the working-out-the-kinks dept.

joabj writes "Virginia Tech researchers have found that the performance of programs running on multicore processors can vary from server to server, and even from core to core. Factors such as which core handles interrupts, or which cache holds the needed data can change from run to run. Such resources tend to be allocated arbitrarily now. As a result, program execution times can vary up to 10 percent. The good news is that the VT researchers are working on a library that will recognize inefficient behavior and rearrange things in a more timely fashion." Here is the paper, Asymmetric Interactions in Symmetric Multicore Systems: Analysis, Enhancements and Evaluation (PDF).

4 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Re:unsurprising. by Rod+Beauvex · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's those turny knobs. They lie.

  2. Re:unsurprising. by symbolset · · Score: 5, Funny

    You have to buy the one that goes to 11. You know how 10 makes the toast almost totally black? Well, what if you want your toast just a little bit more crispy? What if you want just that little bit more? That's what 11 is for. Those other toasters only go to 10, but this one goes to 11.

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
  3. Re:unsurprising. by RuBLed · · Score: 5, Funny

    mine only went up to 10.998799799

  4. Re:unsurprising. by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 5, Funny

    Moral of the story: There's a lot of overclocking out there, and it makes Windows look bad.

    Oh. So that's what's been doing it.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill