Friedrich Huebler ([email protected]) asked about the difference
in performance for Stata/MP on a dual processor computer vs. a dual
core computer:
> Suppose I have a computer with an Intel dual-core processor. How much
> faster is Stata/MP on such a computer compared to Stata/SE? StataCorp
> states on its website and in the Stata/MP Performance Report
> (http://stata.com/statamp/report.pdf) that Stata/MP runs 1.4 times
> faster on two processors. Does this imply that the speed of Stata/SE
> on a dual-core system is the same as on a single-processor system?
A core is the computation engine of a CPU/processor, which is the main
processing chip in a computer. Until recently, CPUs had only a
single computation engine, or core. Now, however, CPUs are available
with more than one computation engine (core) on a single chip. Each
of these cores are as capable as a single processor (given equivalent
chip architecture and clock speed).
For the purposes of Stata/MP and Stata/SE, you can think of a computer
with a single dual core processor in the same way as a computer with
dual single core processors. Stata/SE will use only one core at a time,
whether that core is one of two or more cores on a single processor,
or the single core of a non-multicore processor. Stata/MP can use
both cores, or both processors, on such computers.
Holding everything else equal (memory, processor clock speed, bus
speed, hard drive speed), Stata/MP on a dual processor computer
will perform the same as Stata/MP on a dual core computer.
Likewise, Stata/SE will perform the same on a dual processor
computer (using only one processor since Stata/SE is a single-threaded
application) as on a computer with a single dual core processor (using
only one core of the processor).
Alan
([email protected])
*
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
