Conclusions
Well, I hope that this article, while not explaining anything new, can contribute to show as Intel Hyperthreading and AMD dual-core module technologies really are two different but similar routes for the same destination: increase aggregate system performance.
Both technologies build on the consideration that execution core resources are oversized for regular applications, so more threads can be squeezed on the same (or very similar) silicon space. Intel do this by supplying a single core with two threads, while AMD opts to split a complex core in two simper one, while keeping as much sharing as possible.
Intel Hyperthreading can lead to substantial performance gains with a negligible impact on die size and costs. On the other side, its behavior is less predictable than traditional multi-core approach, and in the worst case it can led to more-or-less significantly lower single-thread and multi-thread performance. However, to tell the truth, it seems to me that hyperthreading is a very valuable addition to Intel processors, as its advantages vastly outscore the potential disadvantages.
AMD dual-core module approach really strike me as a very clear, space efficient, scalable solution, but it has to prove its capabilities on the real world. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks we will be able to see the new Bulldozer architecture in action.
I hope that you will find this article interesting. You can discuss it with me by writing to
Have a nice day!
References:
[1] http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/cpu/ci7-turbo-ht-p1.html
[2] http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hyper-threading-core-i7-980x,2584-10.html
[3] http://www.realworldtech.com/page.cfm?ArticleID=RWT082610181333&p=6