whether you have a single core or multiple cores, you can multi-thread. The thing is, it runs faster when multiple threads have their own processor or core to run on.

Project Dogwaffle 4 now has a new framework for multithreading, and detects how many logical cores there are on the system. Some filters then already use that to run in that many threads, and split the work over the two or more cores. If you have a Pentium 4 with HT, same thing.

In some cases we've seen a filter take almost half the time whgen running on dual core systems. On small images it's not important but if you have an animation and throw the filter  over each frame or if you have print res images at 6000x4000 pixels or alike, it's nice to see a filter go down from 10 secs to 5.5, and on a quad it is expected to go down to 2.5 to 3. Oct-processors will be even faster.

Yeah, if it's in your budget,. wait a month. ut you'll pay a premum for the new stuff. I have a Centrino duo laptop that 3 mkonths ago I paid $1150 for (with 1.5 GB DDR2 ram). Nowadays I see similar laptops for $900 or so, perhaps even less.