  Computers are nonlinear dynamical systems that exhibit complex and sometimes
even chaotic behavior. The models used in the computer systems community,
however, are linear. This paper is an exploration of that disconnect: when
linear models are adequate for predicting computer performance and when they
are not. Specifically, we build linear and nonlinear models of the processor
load of an Intel i7-based computer as it executes a range of different
programs. We then use those models to predict the processor loads forward in
time and compare those forecasts to the true continuations of the time series
