Dual processor motherboards - is there really much point?

(NOTE: I'm a newB to these forums, forgive me if I seem.. stupid)

Heres the question: if you were to buy a dual-processor motherboard, along with two 2200mhz AMD XP processors, could you really ever get the most out of the processors?

My main use for my PC is programming (C++, JamagicScript, and a click n' drag style game-maker), Gaming (Deus Ex, Tribes MOH, you know, the usual..), hell I do everything a pc is supposed to do (convert DVD's to pocket pc-size etc). But I'm worried I'd be wasting my hard umm.. 'earned' money on getting a motherboard with less features but two CPU's. Could I ever *really* be able to tell the difference between my current (gateway crap, by the way - hense the reason why I'm building my own PC! :dude AMD 1202mhz (dont ask me how that 2 mhz got there, thats what my pc says!) CPU and two AMD XP 2200mhz CPU's (coming to a whopping 4.4ghz nevermind any 'overclocking buisness').

 

i have a duallie, it wont destroy the 3dmark bench but it will certainly impress you with its fluid behavior. typically you lose 500-800 3dmarks when you go dual, and the memory performance is downright awful. however, it is amazingly powerful when it comes to multitasking, productivity, CAD, editing, SMP apps, and getting work done. :dude:


i can get 11,000 3dmarks with my MP1900s, stock, no tweaks whatsoever.

 

You would need to get Athlon MPs to take advantage of your dual proc setup. From what I have heard, XPs can be used for dually setups but the MP is designed for it. Secondly, you don't get a huge performance boost with a dually setup unless you are using software designed for it. I believe Photoshop will take full advantage of dually procs but not sure. Not too many games utilize 2 proc systems. I think Quake or Unreal or one of those type does. IMHO I would use the money saved to buy more RAM or a watercooling setup so you can do all that stuff and still have you're hearing

 

RE: ..and the memory performance is downright awful...
in what sense? RAM, HDD? If I know what then maybe 'quality hardware' will negate that for me (perhaps one of those 'xtreme' ram chips? or a western digital HDD?)

RE: 11,000 3dmarks
eh?, what? who? I'm a newB 'member.. I havent a clue what your on about with those '3dmarks - figures'

RE: AMD XP processors
well, I'm a newB. I assumed XP would be better as I'll be getting an OEM verion of WinXP at the same time. (for under $150, which would cost me.. €500! damn the euro!)

RE: Watercooling
screw my hearing, no water is going near my PC, EVER! I'll go deaf before I get a water-cooling 'rig', I dont care how safe people say it is. water+motherboard+power = BOOM!

oh, have you guessed it yet... I'm a newB

 

the XP 2200 is not a 2.2 ghz CPU

water cooling aint bad

www.madonion.com

 

RE: the XP 2200 is not a 2.2 ghz CPU
maybe not, but its near enough for me.

RE: water cooling aint bad
I'm not saying it is, its just not for me.. I would have nightmares of one day waking up, going over to my pc and hearing a splish-splosh like sound beneath my feet.

thanks for the link.

 

3rd times a charm!

 

from what you've said you won't make any use of a dual setup and you will just waste your money. WHy don't you spend the extra money on getting things like a very good graphics card as well as a godo motherboard and a althlon 2600+.

Anything you buy will be so much better than your gateway pc. Gateway would have used low quality motherboards, ram etc but if you spend your money on good quality parts then you will be blown away by how much better your new pc is.

Also you are driving me nuts with the 're:' thing. There is a quote button for that. Find the persons post you want to quote then look at the bottom right of it and there is a button called quote.

There is also a quote button where you reply

 

like this

 

If all you do is C++, a bit of this and that and play games, I'd reccomend not spending your money on an Multi Processor system. Get yourself a nice Athlon XP 2200 or higher, a motherboard with a Via KT400/333 chipset (such as the Asus A7V8X or A7V333). Then buy yourself a decent graphics card like a Ati Radeon 9000 or GeForce4 ti4600 (or wait for the new matrox card).

Put some good pc2600/3000/3200 DDR RAM such as Mushkin RAM (www.mushkin.com) or Crucial RAM (www.crucial.com/uk). Get yourself a powerful HDD like a Western Digital 120gb 8mb Special Edition.

Put all those together and you will have a very powerful setup. At times I think that multi processor is ok, but its not really beneficial for the home user, its more for server applications that can make use of the multi processor set up.

(BTW - Athlon XP2200 runs at 1600mhz or something bit close to that, I am rusty today got MAJOR hangover from birthday celebrations)

 

a 2200 runs faster as a 1800 runs at 1533

 

oh yeah, its 13.5 multiplier so it runs at 1795mhz

 

If you don't know what benefits dual CPUs have, and whether you'd benefit from them, the answer is probably no.

For applications which can use dual CPUs, they have large benefits, but there are not many such apps. Typically they are professional apps, such as photoshop, 3dsmax, lightwave, CAD apps, etc

 

Isaac is completely correct, of course.

From what you say you'll notice negligible improvement from going dual.

Ignore anyone who says you 'need' MP CPUs over XP. The newer models such as the 2200 have been locked by AMD but can be unlocked. I have never heard of someone failing to get an XP to run dual.
However, you seem like the kinda guy who wants minimum fuss, maximum gaurantee. So I would recommend MP CPUs for you.

And then, you'll only notice an improvement in multitasking and applications programmed for SMP.

Personally, I'd be tempted to take the cash and invest in a FC RAID 5 array to go in another room, but there are plenty of things you could spend the extra money on.

 

Running games servers and filservers is also better on an MP system right? Also you need an OS that has mutliprocessor support (NT/2k/XP pro).

 

happy? I was sooo tempted to do the RE: thing just to annoy you , but since I'm new here I thought not (lets not add any more members to the 'I hate Liquid, how can we kill him' 'fan' club) . I only used it becuase the last forum I used isnt as 'helpful' as this one, force of habbit I suppose.

also on the topic of what exactly I do use my PC for.. it can be very processor intensive sometimes, as I make 3D games, render 3D environments in truespace etc. But I think you are all right, too much power for too little a person. Besides everytime I go looking for a motherboard I cant, or rather wont take my eyes of the Soyo SY-KT400 DRAGON Ultra its just so 'purdy' (not that I'll notice it, I'm not putting a window in my case, who'd see it, stuck up between a monitor and a 32" tv :cries: ) and she wants to do so much stuff for me..

 

I'm going for WinXP PRO either way, so should I ever need a multi-processor PC I wont need to upgrade my OS.

 

If you're rendering 3D, I would say

Yes, do it, get SMP!

You'd have to check if truespace has smp support (I would guess yes) but you will definately see the benefits.
If in nothing other than the fact that you could still use your machine while it renders, due to it's new found multitasking skillz

 

would compilers benifit from it?

I'm sick of waiting half an hour for my app to compile :cries:

 

well, you see the probleme that has appeared now, is that I have fallen in love with the features/specs that the Soyo motherboard (above) offers, to my knowlege few (if any) other motherboard offers things like cpu-monitoring, PC shut down if the CPU gets too hot etc. nevermind a multi-processor motherboard having such 'features'.