mersenneforum.org - View Single Post - The correct way for MacOS users to check for CPU instruction sets

retina · 2020-10-25, 22:52

IMO the only true-and-correct^TM method of finding out what one's system can execute is to simply execute an instruction from the set. If you get an exception then you can't use that set.

This it because it isn't just the CPU you are testing for, it is also the OS. If the OS doesn't enable, and support the instruction set you want to use, even if the CPU has it, then you won't be able to execute them. If you get no exception thrown then you are good to go.

And it generalises to all OSes and systems out there. No need to find special files and parse text outputs and whatnot.

2020-10-25, 22:52	#2
retina Undefined "The unspeakable one" Jun 2006 My evil lair 5·1,201 Posts	IMO the only true-and-correct^TM method of finding out what one's system can execute is to simply execute an instruction from the set. If you get an exception then you can't use that set. This it because it isn't just the CPU you are testing for, it is also the OS. If the OS doesn't enable, and support the instruction set you want to use, even if the CPU has it, then you won't be able to execute them. If you get no exception thrown then you are good to go. And it generalises to all OSes and systems out there. No need to find special files and parse text outputs and whatnot.