Today’s PCs are typically powered by monster CPUs packing four or more cores, and Windows generally does a good job of divvying all of that power up between your apps. But sometimes you want just a bit more control over which processor-hungry apps should be tamed, and that’s where something called processor affinity comes in. Here’s how to restrict specific apps to individual CPU cores for better system-wide responsiveness and, for older apps, stability.
How to Stress Test a Mac CPU
If your Mac is experiencing random shutdowns or poor performance, a CPU stress test may help identify the cause. While there are third party utilities that can stress test your Mac, here’s how you can perform basic CPU stress testing with an easy Terminal command.
How to Find Your Mac’s Exact CPU Model
When buying a new Mac, Apple provides basic CPU info but hides the specific processor model. This is fine for most users, but those troubleshooting issues or hoping to compare their Mac to a PC or older Mac may want to know exactly which CPU is powering their system. Here’s how to quickly find your Mac’s CPU model via Terminal.
OWC Launches ‘Turnkey’ 2013 Mac Pro CPU Upgrade Service
Other World Computing extended its Turnkey upgrade service to the 2013 Mac Pro Tuesday, offering customers CPU and RAM upgrades for Apple’s latest flagship. In addition to performing the complicated upgrade for you, OWC also offers CPU options not available from Apple.
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Samsung Reportedly Dropped from Apple’s A8 Manufacturing Due to Low Yields
The next iPhones and iPads, expected for release later this year, will be powered by Apple’s A8 processor, which was expected to be manufactured by both Samsung and TSMC. But a new report indicates that TSMC will now manufacture all A8s after Samsung’s poor yields failed to meet Apple’s requirements.
Manufacturing Issues Push Intel’s Broadwell CPUs to Early 2014
Intel’s next processor architecture, Broadwell, won’t be ready this year due to a manufacturing issue. Intel told investors this week that, while they think they have the problem solved, units won’t be ready for sale until early 2014.
Samsung to Counter Apple with 64-bit Smartphones in 2014
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5s features the first consumer-targeted 64-bit smartphone processor, but longtime rival Samsung promises to fight back with its own 64-bit devices next year, according to statements made this week by the company’s mobile division chief.