Is Vegas 7 more efficient in the use of duo core processing?

I’m using Vegas 6.0d right now and notice that one processor is working at about 40-60% while the other is only at about 20%.

The above was noted while previewing a simple project with 1 track of video – no transitions or effects. Resolution>preview (auto)

...or is it just my system?

Using:

3.2 GHz Pentium D (duo core)
2 GB Ram

Thanks all --

Update: 3Gigs of ram...

Is Vegas 7 optimized for Duo core or Core 2 usage… that is, to really take full advantage of both processors?

Vegas is driven by CPU "horsepower." So yes, both v6 and v7 will certainly work faster with dual core CPU's. My understanding is the OS (Windows XP) actually delegates and manages all the processor threads and divvies them up between each CPU. So Vegas is likely not aware of the dual core, as that task is delegated to the OS. It just realizes stuff is getting done faster and then feeds the next command into the CPU queue. A few apps (mostly games) try to bypass the OS and do their own management... mostly for speed reasons. This is why some have problems. Vegas/DVDA are not among those.

I can't comment on the disparity on load, but I am inclined to not worry about it. My hunch is your PC is not working that hard to render. My AMD 4600 x2 pegs @100% during rendering, but I can still surf the web while waiting. If this still concerns you, AMD does have a dual core CPU tweak tool to handle some issues with games on x2 cores. (for reasons cited above, my understanding is it is not needed for Vegas.) Possibly Intel has a collateral tool?

If you are happy w/ v6, stay there, but (perhaps I am reading into this) upgrading to v7 for better dual core performance likely won't be terribly noticible.

Having just said that, v7 has brought enough goodies to the table for me that upgrading was a no-brainer. But I edit HDV.

Been away from the board for some time -- thanks for the reply, James...

code 2 duo is faster again: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2808

experience with rendering times with Vegas:
http://pana3ccduser.com/showthread.php?t=11432&page=1&pp=10&highlight=core
http://pana3ccduser.com/showthread.php?t=11789&page=1&pp=10&highlight=core

I got some semi-official semi-conclusive response from Sony way back that said 'yes' hypertheading is utilized in Vegas 6. I know that's not the complete answer but it is a repsonse from Sony, which is a miracle worth noting.