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ResNet Processor Requirements
Shippensburg University > ResNet > Get Connected > Requirements > Hardware Requirements > Processors

Your computer's processor (called a Central Processing Unit or "CPU") is the brain of your computer.

Determining which type of processor you need can be a difficult challenge, but we're here to help!

Until recently, most computers had a single processor.  Now, more and more computers are available with new CPU technologies called "Dual Core" processors.  These dual-core CPUs have two brains.  As a result, they can do double the work in nearly the same amount time.

You are welcome to use single-core or dual-core computers on ResNet!

Single-Core Computers

Single-core computers are commonly advertised as having the following types of processors:

• Intel® Pentium^TM III
• Intel® Pentium^TM 4
• Intel® Pentium^TM 4 with Hyper Threading
• Intel® Centrino^TM
• Intel® Centrino^TM Mobile
• AMD® Athlon^TM
• AMD® Athlon XP ^TM
• AMD® Sempron^TM
• And many others...

The speed rating for these types of machines is often referred to in Gigahertz (abbreviated "GHz").  Modern single-core CPUs can be as fast as 4 GHz or more!  The faster the CPU, the more brain (computing) power your computer will have.

ResNet Minimum Requirement:  If your computer has a single-core CPU, make sure it is at least 2 GHz or faster.

Dual-core Computers

Dual-core computers are commonly advertised as having the following types of processors:

• Intel® Pentium^TM D
• Intel® Core^TM 2
• Intel® Core^TM 2 Duo
• Intel® Centrino^TM  Duo
• AMD® Athlon X2^TM
• AMD® FX-60^TM (and above)
• And many others...

The speed rating for these types of processors are still given in Gigahertz, but you will notice they are much lower than their modern single-core counterparts.  This lower speed rating DOES NOT mean these processors are not super fast- it just means that each core runs at a slower "clock speed."

Current dual-core CPUs have average GHz ratings between 1 and 2 GHz.  This rating is PER CORE.  As a result, you still have between 2 and 4 GHz of computing power on the CPU, it's just split among the cores.  Just as with single-core CPUs, the faster the GHz rating, the more computing power your system will have.

ResNet Minimum Requirement:  If your computer has a dual-core CPU, make sure it is rated at least 1 GHz or faster.

A Quick Techie Note

Since dual-core CPUs currently carry smaller GHz ratings, we are sometimes asked if these CPUs are slower.  The answer to this question is a blurry one...

If you have a single-core CPU running at 3.6 GHz, a common misconception is that a dual-core CPU running at 1.8 GHz provides identical performance (thinking that 2 cores times 1.8 GHz = 3.6 GHz).  Technically, this is not true.

Dual-core CPUs may 'run slower' than their single-core counterparts, but in many cases they can perform computing tasks faster.

Here's a quick (yet simplified) demonstration of how it works...

1. Think of a single-core computer as having one big hand.
2. Think of a dual-core computer as having two slightly smaller hands.
3. Think of the information we're computing as a stack of bricks.
4. Think of other information we're computing as a pile of wood.

Our goal is to move all the bricks and all of the wood from one location to another.

The single-core (one-handed) computer has to move one brick at a time.  It can do this very quickly, but it does it in a sequential fashion.  If the computer has to do something else in the middle of moving bricks (such as moving a piece of wood),  it has to stop moving bricks, switch to the wood pile, move the piece of wood, switch back to the bricks, and start moving them again.  Each time a piece of wood needs moved, the computer has to repeat this process.

The dual-core (two-handed) computer can move two bricks at a time.  It does this just a bit slower than the single-core computer, but in most cases it's still so amazingly fast that we can't tell a difference.  If the dual-core computer gets asked to move a piece of wood, it does so with just one of its hands.  It's other hand can continue to move bricks without interruption! As a result, the stack of bricks and pile of wood both get moved much quicker than by doing the job with one hand.

So, yes, each brick or piece of wood was moved just a fraction slower than they were with the single big hand, but more total pieces were moved in a shorter period of time!