You’ve been reading a lot lately about the benefits of using AMD-based dual-core and quad-core processors, but do you know what types of programs run best on PCs using these chips?

Many common desktop productivity programs, such as word processors, spreadsheets, email, and many other everyday software packages, don't need the full power of advanced multithreading and memory caching features, or the blazing speed offered by the new generation of processors. But many programs used by small businesses will enjoy a significant speed boost when run on the new chips.

Presentation creation packages, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, can benefit from these chips. Presentation software demand processing power to be able to generate charts and graphs, and multi-core processors help feed that need. If your company does a lot of presentations, machines equipped with multi-core processors will help to save you significant amounts of time.

But that's only the beginning. Programs such as Adobe Premier and Photoshop, or any others in which you edit photos or video, operate much more efficiently on dual- and quad-core processor systems. The processors’ multithreading capabilities virtually eliminate hang-ups and crashes that often plaque users of less powerful PCs when working with large image and video files. If your small business does a lot of image-related work, you can't afford to wait to invest in multi-core computing hardware.

These kinds of programs fall into what has become known as the “CPU Intensive” category and are dependent on the added power and capabilities of the newer CPUs.

And if you really want to see a new multi-core system fly, wait till after business hours and pop in one of latest graphics-intensive games. Nothing shows off the power of multi-core chips like today's PC games. In fact, these are some of the most power-hungry applications ever developed and many will not run at all - - or will run with only limited capabilities – on underpowered computers.

-- Bruce Freeman