[Info-vax] [OT] Single core MCUs/single threaded workloads, was: Re: Linux support

[Simon Clubley]

On 2014-02-01, David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
> johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>> 
>> Not disagreeing in general but want to add a couple of comments:
>> 
>> "Need a bit more [performance], add a few more cores onto the chip." 
>> 
>> Works great for marketing, how well does it work for typical volume-market
>> single-threaded workloads on desktops or mobile devices? Readers here know
>> the answer...
>
> Everyone stopped making single core chips years ago.  I once made the 
> comment that AMD's San Deigo chip at 90 nm was basically the fastest 
> single core CPU that would be manufactured.  Got jumped on by a few 
> people, but, this was AFTER both Intel and AMD stated that all future 
> production would be multi-core.  You may purchase a "single core" chip, 
> but that's because for mfg or marketing reasons some of the cores are 
> not operational.  So, I stand by my claim.
>

Sorry David, but I suspect the single core Cortex-A8 and ARM9 boards
I can see as well as the Cortex-M4 boards buried somewhere across the
room might disagree with you. :-)

You seem to only be focusing on the desktop PC market, but that's a
major mistake. There is a _massive_ embedded market for boards and
the MCUs on those boards which have 1/10 to 1/100 to 1/1000 of the
processing power and memory resources you are thinking of when you
talk of multi-GHz processors and gigabytes of RAM.

Also, John said single-threaded, not single core. :-) Not all desktop
workloads can take real advantage of multiple cores.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world