Check PC Performance Details with WinSAT in Windows 7 or Vista
Since Windows Vista, including in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) has been added into the operating system. WinSAT is a free benchmarking tool that measures various computer performance ratings, characteristics and capabilities, and display the ratings as Windows Experience Index or WEI score.
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20.4.2009 How to check software or hardware for Windows 7 compatibility
Microsoft has put up an extremely useful site that will allow you to check your software and hardware for Windows 7 compatibility.
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27.10.2009 Bypass and Disable Genuine Windows Validation Check
Microsoft has made it harder for illegitimate, or for whatever reason, your copy of Microsoft Windows couldn't be validated, users to retrieve updates via Microsoft Updates or Windows Update, and download programs from Microsoft Download Center.
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19.5.2006 Download everything from Microsoft without Windows Genuine Advantage Check
ghacks.net has found a workaround to bypass the WGA, wonder how long MS will take to fix this.
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8.9.2006 Check Out The New Windows Home Server Demo. But Why Is It In Flash?
Microsoft PR sent out a link to this slick new Windows Home Server Demo this afternoon. Nothing really notable about it (although I do want one)…except the demo is in Flash.
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27.10.2007 Windows 7 Performance Tools - Performance Tools Kit 4.1.1
Internet Explorer 8 will be not only an apex of performance, but also the next major iteration of the Windows client, according to Microsoft.
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1.9.2008 Digital File Check
Music fans who want be safe and legal on the internet are today offered a new freely-available software programme that will help them stop their computer being used for illegal file-swapping of copyrighted music and movies.
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Check Out the Official Release Notes for Windows XP Service Pack 3
Mind blowing! Simply mind blowing! Shocking! And last, but definitely not least, a true revelation. Microsoft has published the official release notes for Windows XP Service Pack 3, and, boy, are you in for a treat! I bet you didn't see this coming in the least.
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4.12.2007 What's New in Vista - File Select Check Box
Choosing multiple files and folders has been possible in Windows for as long as I can remember. Hold the CTRL key and choose the files and/or folders. Pretty simple, but there has to be an easier way right?
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1.6.2006 Microsoft pre-paid cards to check software piracy
Check piracy of its software, Microsoft on Wednesday announced that it would launch pre-paid cards in India before this year-end.
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17.9.2006 Check for RAM Error or Defect in Windows 7 and Vista with Windows Memory Diagnostic
Memory or RAM is one of the most important electronic hardware component on a computer systems, not only in term of speed or clock frequency and size, but also the reliability of hardware ecosystem of the RAM sticks or memory modules and its subsystem.
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1.10.2009 The Ultimate Windows Vista Computer Design
Fest your eyes on the Ultimate Windows Vista computer design concept. The image included on the left, as well as the ones at the bottom of this article are a part of the Carbon Design Group’s portfolio.
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17.9.2007 The Windows 7 11-Second Boot and the Computer That Made It Possible
Windows 7’s evolution compared to Windows Vista is undeniable, and the lucky few that so far have had access to the RTM bits of the latest Windows client can confirm this.
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18.9.2009 Windows Vista at 1 year: A computer maker's view
I've been working for a while on an upcoming story coinciding with Windows Vista's first year on the market, and I've talked with a variety of people who have been using and working with the Microsoft operating system in different ways.
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30.1.2008 Microsoft: The Windows OEM License Dies with Its Computer
Licenses for Windows come in various flavors from Retail to Volume, but perhaps the most common of all is provided by original equipment manufacturers together with operating systems preloaded on new computers.
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17.6.2008 Fix Windows 7 Does Not Start After Force Shutdown of Computer
No Microsoft operating system is bug free and it starts getting uncovered as more and more users start using it.
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10.10.2009 Computer after accident
Usage of second-hand computer
Internet Computer Names
I had a very exciting chat with some beta users today where, for the first time, we talked about a feature I am very excited about that we are calling Internet Computer Names.
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24.8.2006 Super Personal Computer
Tyan Computer has announced its latest TyanPSC T-650 series personal supercomputers powered by Intel’s 50-watt quad-core Xeon processors. Tyan targets the TyanPSC T-650 series towards office environments. The new TyanPSC T-650 is a 5-node cluster with 40 CPU cores per system.
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22.3.2007 PC login Now - How To Change a Windows XP Limited User Account Into a Computer Administrator
One of the place that I work at has a few hundreds of computers and it is shared by students.
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12.7.2008 Cray Computer Founder Joins Microsoft
Microsoft confirmed on Friday that Burton Smith, formerly the chief scientist for Cray, would be joining the company as a technical fellow. Smith will work to expand Microsoft's efforts in parallel and high-performance computing, and would report to chief technical officier Craig Mundie.
Smith had worked with Cray since its inception as Tera Computer Co. in 1988. He has also published several works on issues regarding parallel computing. "As microprocessor technology continues to evolve over the next decade or so, we're going to see the capabilities of a supercomputer cluster on the desktop which will require a different software architecture," Mundie said. "Burton will be investigating how to develop software to benefit from the opportunities which multi-core multiprocessors will present."
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9.12.2005 10 Biggest Computer Flops of all time
Over the years, computers have changed the way we live today! In order to get us there, many hardware and software companies have pushed the envelope to create what we use today.
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22.10.2006 Vista encryption 'no threat' to computer forensics
Security advances in Windows Vista are unlikely to frustrate cybercrime investigation, according to a leading computer forensics firm.
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2.2.2007 Computer Maker Files Antitrust Suit Against Microsoft
Computer maker Tangent has filed a federal antitrust suit against Microsoft, accusing the software maker of anticompetitive behavior that forced it to overpay for the Windows operating system.
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23.2.2006 Microsoft's new OS Vista spurs computer sales
US sales of computers carrying Microsoft's new operating system Vista soared in the week after it was launched, defying the expectations of analysts who gave Vista lackluster reviews.
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10.2.2007 Home Computer Restore CD [Dual Boot] BETA now available
The Windows Home Server team would like to invite you to download a BETA version of the "Windows Home Server - Home Computer Restore CD (Dual Boot)" from Microsoft Connect at http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer.
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6.4.2008 Windows Performance Blog
As I said in yesterday’s introduction, my job as an engineer on the Windows Vista team is to improve performance. I wanted to look at a study that measure a key area that we focused on for Windows Vista – consistent responsiveness during the times that matter most to users (when starting up their machine, after being idle, and when you are under the gun running tons of apps, etc.).
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29.12.2006 Windows 7 Performance Pillars
Attempting to avoid the rather sluggish experience that has become inherently associated with Windows Vista RTM, Microsoft promised, through the voice of Steven Sinofsky, that Windows 7 would not set a single “bit” out of Redmond until it would meet a set of performance criteria.
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29.8.2008 Windows 7 Performance, Explained
From startup to the way it handles hardware resources available, power consumption and applications, Windows 7 has been applauded as delivering a level of performance superior to that of Windows Vista, even as early as pre-Beta Build 6801.
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29.11.2008Overview Series: Windows Vista Performance and Tuning
Windows Vista and SP1 focus on delivering greater performance and overall system responsiveness. By striking a balance between speed and
responsiveness, Windows Vista and SP1 deliver a level of performance that has the greatest positive impact on the systems usability. This guide looks
at the following areas of performance improvement:
- Making configuration changes that help a computer feel more responsive when you
use it.
- Using hardware to boost the actual physical speed of a computer.
- Making configuration changes that help a computer to start
faster.
- Making the computer more reliable may help increase performance.
- Monitoring performance occasionally so that you can stop
problems before they get too big.
winbeta.org -
29.07.2008Hyper-V performance - feedback wanted
Tony Voellm (Principle Development Lead) is after feedback on Hyper-V performance:
Check his post "
Windows Hyper-V Beta" for more
details and a snippet is below
As the person responsible for performance inside the Hyper-V product team Im confident is saying
youll see the hypervisor investment is really paying off. As you use the product Id love to get your feedback on Hyper-V performance.
If youve got feedback,
get in touch with Tony =)
winbeta.org -
07.12.2007Windows Vista Performance, Responsiveness, and Reliability Update Available (KB943899 v2)
This update improves performance, responsiveness, and reliability of Windows Vista in various scenarios. This update resolves the following issues on
a Windows Vista-based computer:
- You receive a "Stop 0x000000A0" error when you try to switch the computer to the hibernate state.
- You receive a "Stop 0x0000009f" error when you switch the computer to the hibernate state or to the standby state. Or, you receive this
Stop error when you resume the computer from the hibernate state or from the standby state. This problem occurs on a computer that has a wireless
network connection.
- The disk does not spin down after a specified time of inactivity.
Additionally, this update can help
improve performance when you perform operations that are related to large disk I/O. After you apply this update, you may notice up to a 15 percent
performance improvement in some copying operations and when moving some large files.
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12.02.2008Deployed: Windows Vista SP1 RC on ALL of my PCs
Brandon LeBlanc: Today Nick announced the availability of the release candidate for Windows Vista SP1. I had a chance to get the RC build of Windows
Vista SP1 installed a few days ago. I decided to roll the RC out on all of my PCs which showcase a variety of device types and scenarios:
- My Main Desktop PC running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 - check.
- My Test/Work PC running Windows Vista Business - check.
- My Dell Vostro 1500 Laptop running Windows Vista Ultimate - check.
- My Samsung Q1 UMPC running Windows Vista Home Premium - check.
- My Digital CableCard PC running Windows Vista Home Premium - check.
In installing the RC on my PCs, I did a combination of
using the standalone installer and Windows Update. Before proceeding to install the SP1 RC bits, I first needed to uninstall the SP1 beta bits first.
Users looking to install the Windows Vista SP1 RC will need to uninstall any previous version of SP1 prior to the installation of the RC from either
Windows Update or the standalone installer.
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06.12.2007Microsoft: Another Vista Reliability & Performance Update
Vista’s performance is one of those topics that won’t be exhausted until Windows Seven hits RTM. It all comes down to trade-offs. Ever
since the features of Vista were finalized, Microsoft tried to tip the scale the other way by focusing on performance, with the obvious limitation of
not disabling any services. Updates regarding performance and stability are numerous, but most have not hit Windows Update as they are not quite ready
(preview releases). The Windows Serviceability Team wants feedback on one such update, available for download at the Microsoft Download Center, before
its expected release on Windows Update in January.
Read full story.....
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13.12.2007Windows 7 HD and SSD Performance Analyzed
Today we're going to look at how various types of disks perform under Windows 7, both of the traditional platter based variety and new solid state
disks. We're not only curious about how disk performance changes between the operating systems, but if Windows 7's new solid-state specific
optimizations and tuning give you even greater performance compared to Vista.
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29.05.2009ReadyBoost no longer a Vista-only feature: eBoostr 1.0
MDO Ltd. announces the release of eBoostr, a complete replacement for Microsoft ReadyBoost technology for Windows XP. Upgrade the performance of your
PC without upgrading its components. Get ReadyBoost-like technology in Windows XP. Overcome ReadyBoost limitations and use up to four inexpensive
flash devices to speed up your system. Add more speed to your PC without upgrading! If you could improve the performance of your computer by upgrading
just one item, that would be memory. Adding more RAM speeds up Windows and applications, allowing the system to access the hard disk less often. This
is especially true for older PCs with 256 or 512 MB of RAM, and laptop computers with slow hard drives.
Upgrading computer components can
be costly, and is not always possible. Buying and plugging a USB flash memory stick, on the other hand, is neither expensive nor complicated. That is
why Microsoft developed a new technology called ReadyBoost. ReadyBoost uses flash memory plugged into a computer to enhance operating system
responsiveness, decrease loading time, and improve computer performance. Unfortunately, Microsoft ReadyBoost is only available in Windows Vista. Since
the day Microsoft announced its ReadyBoost technology for Windows Vista, the company made it clear that no ReadyBoost upgrade will be released to
support Windows XP and older operating systems.
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14.11.2007A new way to monitor your Windows systems' performance
Windows Sentinel is a joint project with the exo.performance.network, founded by InfoWorld Contributing Editor Randall C. Kennedy, that enables
InfoWorld readers to monitor system, process, and network performance while contributing to a global repository of information that will yield an
unprecedented, real-time image of Windows-based system performance and behavior.
Register below to download the Windows Sentinel
software agent, which enables you to monitor the performance of up to three Windows desktop or server systems (including Vista systems) and set alerts
for when your thresholds are exceeded. You can display this performance information on a personalized Web page, a desktop widget, or a widget that
works on iPhone, iPod Touch, and Symbian devices.
winbeta.org -
15.04.2008Antec P182 Performance One Elite Computer Case Review
..
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21.08.200750 Windows XP & Vista Tips & Tricks
Computer Active has compiled a list of 50 tips to improve performance of both XP and Vista.
For most people using a computer means using
Windows and over the years Microsoft’s operating system has become easier to use.
However, there is always room for improvement, so
in this feature we have compiled 50 of the finest tips for Windows XP and Vista. These can help to make Windows even better, easier to use and faster.
Most don’t even require you to install any extra software, so if you want to make your copy of XP or Vista better, it’s possible to get
started immediately.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
09.05.2008Engineering Windows 7 Graphics Performance
Steven Sinofsky: One of the areas of any release of Windows that receives a significant amount of testing and scrutiny is the performance of
graphicsdesktop graphics all the way to the most extreme CAD and game graphics. The amazing breadth of hardware supported for Windows and the broad
spectrum of usage scenarios contributes to a vibrant ecosystem with many different goalsfrom just the basics to the highest frame rates on multiple
monitors possible. In engineering Windows 7 we set out to improve the śreal worldť performance of graphics as well as continue to improve the most
extreme elements of graphics...
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26.04.2009Gaming Performance: Windows Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3
Even as Microsoft tries to shove Windows Vista down the collective and unwilling throat of computer users worldwide, the company is still perfecting
the well-aged and well-loved Windows XP. The latter of the two operating systems just received its third (and evidently last) service pack.
<...> Of course, with the release of a new service pack comes a huge, pressing question: How does it compare to Windows Vista and its own
recent update, Service Pack 1, in the game performance department? Vista, of course, has been plagued by criticism that games run on it don't perform
as well as they do in Windows XP, even though most of the problems were due to early graphics drivers and have gradually been worked out.
Come with us as we install XP SP3 and take it for a test drive, and more importantly compare it to Vista SP1 with a batch of performance
tests. Though DirectX 10 is Vista-only, many a gamer has sworn not to upgrade; will XP SP3 cement their decision, or has Vista and its drivers matured
enough to change a few minds?
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12.05.2008Windows Vista Facts
James Senior: It's always nice to have a few throwaway stats about Windows Vista that you can give to someone when you are combating someone who
believes that XP is "good enough" for them. I'd like to share a few with you over the coming weeks and I'll start with a new page on
www.windowsvista.com that has some interesting stats on Vista that you might not know about.
- Windows Vista-based PCs resume
from sleep in less than 6 seconds.
- PCs running Windows Vista that are equipped with 512 MB memory experience a performance boost of up to
40% with ReadyBoost technology
- Windows Vista users generally experience 20 percent fewer application "hangs" than those running Windows
XP
- Superfetch, an ingenious new Windows Vista technology, helps your computer adjust to your schedule, so your apps are ready to go
before you even launch them. Use Microsoft Outlook every morning? Superfetch will serve it up just in time for breakfast. Play the same game every
night? Superfetch gets your computer ready for the next big win. Waiting less means you can do more. Only on Windows Vista.
- Based on
their first 180 days of availability, Windows Vista has been shown to have fewer vulnerabilities than Windows XP or MacOS X 10.4
- PCs
running it are 60 percent less likely to be infected with viruses, worms, and rootkits than PCs running Windows XP SP2
- Windows
Vista-based PCs are almost three times less likely to be infected with potentially unwanted software than Windows XP-based PCs.
- Internet
Explorer 7 is now blocking nearly 1 million attempts to access these fake sites per week
For the full article check out:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/facts.mspx
winbeta.org - 17.01.2008
ZoneAlarm Security Suite 7.1 Adds Vista Support
Check Point Software today
released ZoneAlarm Internet
Security Suite 7.1, a
Vista-compatible version of
its flagship security suite.
Vista-compatible versions of
ZoneAlarm Antivirus and the
popular free ZoneAlarm
Firewall are also available.
Past versions of
ZoneAlarm's products have
relied on Microsoft's TDI
(Transport Device Interface)
to track network behavior.
Windows Vista retains support
for TDI, but introduces the
new Windows Filtering Platform
(WFP). While porting to Vista
using TDI would have been
easier, Check Point chose to
support WFP for this
Vista-compatible version. When
installed on Windows 2000 and
XP, however, version 7.1 will
still use TDI.
Check
Point is the first major
security vendor to make use of
the Vista-specific Windows
Filtering Platform. Company
representatives explained that
Microsoft will stop fixing
problems with TDI in the
future, so by utilizing WFP,
users can be prepared for
Vista threats...
winbeta.org - 14.06.2007
Windows Vista: The Facts
When choosing a new operating system, the first thing many people ask is, "What will it help me do?" In answer, much of this site shows you the
great experiences Windows Vista helps you have. The second thing many people say is, "Prove that it's better." In particular, many of you have
asked about performance and safety improvements. The following information provides specific proof that Windows Vista is faster and safer.- The
majority of Windows Vista-based PCs boot in less than a minute, which can be an improvement over Windows XP boot times. And the new Windows Vista
sleep and resume features can bring your PC to life in a snapin fact, the vast majority of all Windows Vista-based PCs resume from sleep in less than
6 seconds.
- PCs running Windows Vista that are equipped with 512 MB memory experience a performance boost of up to 40 percent with Windows
ReadyBoost. Just plug a USB flash drive into your computer, and Windows Vista will automatically start using it to speed up memory access to important
data.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 20.01.2008
Microsoft: WGA Calls Home
Daily
Microsoft Corp. acknowledged
Wednesday that it needs to
better inform users that its
tool for determining whether a
computer is running a pirated
copy of Windows also quietly
checks in daily with the
software maker.
The company said the
undisclosed daily check is a
safety measure designed to
allow the tool, called Windows
Genuine Advantage, to quickly
shut down in case of a
malfunction. For example, if
the company suddenly started
seeing a rash of reports that
Windows copies were pirated,
it might want to shut down the
program to make sure it
wasn't delivering false
results.
"It's kind of a safety
switch," said David Lazar,
who directs the Windows
Genuine Advantage
program.
Lazar
said the company added the
safety measure because the
piracy check, despite
widespread distribution, is
still a pilot program. He said
the company was worried that
it might have an unforeseen
emergency that would require
the program to terminate
quickly. Also mentioned is
that the company would tweak
the program soon so that it
only phones up Microsoft every
two weeks.
jcxp.net - 08.06.2006
Windows Performance Tools Kit v4.1.1 Update Available
The Windows Performance Tools (WPT) Kit contains performance analysis tools that are new to the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework
3.5. The WPT Kit is useful to a broad audience, including system builders, hardware manufacturers, driver developers, and general application
developers. These tools are designed for measuring and analyzing system and application performance on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and
later.
Version 4.1.1 is an update to WPT Kit v.4.1.0, which was released as part of the Windows Server
2008 SDK. Version 4.1.1 contains fixes for the following issues:
- Windows Performance Analyzer does not start when
double-clicking an ETL file.
- Windows Performance Analyzer does not perform power state transition analysis.
winbeta.org - 11.02.2008
Windows Imaging Component RC1
Thanks CoolCatBad for posting
this in Back
Page News on our
forums.
The Windows
Imaging Component supports
discovery of new and
proprietary (e.g., Raw) image
formats. Any application that
uses WIC can take advantage of
new image formats as soon as
their CODECs
(encoder/decoders) are
installed on the computer. WIC
includes updated CODECs for
JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, & BMP
that are more secure than
previously released CODECs for
these formats, and also
supports a new
high-performance image format
called Windows Media Photo.
Additionally, WIC provides
metadata readers and writers
for common image metadata
formats, and enables
applications to preserve their
own metadata inside image
files so they don't need to
create "sidecar files".
neowin.net - 05.10.2006
Windows Advisor Pilot v2.2
Windows Advisor is a self-help tool that notifies you about problems in your PC and helps you fix them. Windows Advisor scans your PC continuously,
notifies you about important issues, and, when possible, suggests an easy fix solution. Additionally, it provides a checkup function, so that you can
manually check your PC. This manual checkup displays information about additional, non-critical issues, such as suggestions and tips for improving the
way you use your PC. The checkup advises you about security, performance, networking, printing, and more.
winbeta.org - 08.07.2008
Next version of Windows to be 'fundamentally different'
Future versions of
Windows will have to be
"fundamentally different" in
order to take advantage of
multicore processors,
according to Ty Carlson of
Microsoft.
"You're going to see in
excess of 8, 16, 64 and beyond
processors on your client
computer," said Carlson,
director of technical strategy
at Microsoft, during a panel
discussion at the Future in
Review conference. Windows
Vista, on the other hand, is
"designed to run on 1, 2,
maybe 4 processors," he said,
referring to the fact that
quad-core processors are now
available from Intel and are
on the way from Advanced Micro
Devices.
The problem,
as has been noted on many
occasions, is that loads of PC
applications were programmed
with serial processing in
mind, meaning that the
performance of those
applications increased as a
chip's clock speed increased.
That's not how it works
anymore. The chip industy has
decided that multiple cores
are the best way to keep
increasing performance, and
that means applications now
have to be designed with
parallel processing in mind...
winbeta.org - 24.05.2007
