Dual CPUs Question!!!!!!!!!!

[X-Caliber]

Hey Everybody,

I own an Asus P2B-DS board with a G200 (+ RRG and DVD) in an NT4 box. I have one processor, a PIII-550, and I want to buy a second CPU. I have done some research, and I am a bit confused. So hopefully all you Dual'ers can help me:

Do I have to buy a PIII-550 as my second CPU, or can I get a different speed? My ASUS board is pretty old, so I don't think it will handle anything more than a PIII-600.

What do they mean by 'stepping size?' I've heard that both CPUs must have the same stepping size.

I know both the G200 and G400 (and G450, from what I gather) don't really take advantage of the SMP features. But what about the mysterious G800? This last question can probably be answered only by those 'Secret Service' people with inside information!

What graphics cards should I use to take advantage of SMP tasks?

Do I have to reinstall NT4, to take advantage of the second CPU. I've heard that the kernel has to be re-compiled.

What brand of Linux do you guys use to take advantage of the second CPU? I've heard that Debian is the best, but how does it run? What about Suse?

Are there any Dual-Processor forums out there, I found one a while ago, but I lost the URL?

Thanks,

X

[Sisyfos]

Try this thread http://forums.murc.ws/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002350.html

In my post there's a link to a .pdf document, which has information on steppings and their inter compatibility.

Steppings are revisions of manufacturing process. They are done to get better yields mostly (i.e. higher frequency), but also bug fixes and e.g. adding better dual capabilities.

Kim

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[paulcs]

Your CPU's absolutely must be rated at the same speed and should be the same stepping. If you're using a PIII with a Katmai core, you cannot use a Coppermine PIII 550, so be careful. The 550 MHz PIII was available with both cores. Many of the older Asus dual CPU motherboards don't support the newer Coppermines anyway, which is pretty lousy considering how much they cost.

As far as I know, the G400 has problems only with Quake III in SMP mode. You should be able to take advantage of the second CPU when multitasking and when using applications that support SMP.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[MultimediaMan]

You might want to try http://www.2cpu.com for all of your SMP-related questions. A very nice site dedicated to multiprocessing.

Duallies can be a handful at times. But yes, you do want CPUs wit hthe same stepping and preferably, the same lot code. P2s and P3s are not as sensitive about running in a multiprocessor environment like the old Pentiums and Pentium Pros are.

Make sure you have a nice beefy power supply (300W minimum) with good cooling for each CPU, and a well-cooled case.

Overclocking a multiprocessor machine is best left to the experts, and is NOT for the layperson. Most Duallies have a bunch more peripherals and adapters than a typical desktop machine, and overclocking can cause many, many problems across the entire system.

At any rate,

[Pace]

Although I've never used a twin setup I did take an interest in Abit's BP6 so this comes from past research and general stuff I've picked up.

You can't recompile the NT kernel but you may have to reinstall for NT to use the multi-processor kernel.

All versions of Linux should support SMP. RedHat are the biggest name in Linux but other distributions have their advantages - and different levels of expertise are required. Windows 2000 is also an excellent choice for SMP.

No graphics card will really 'take advantage' of dual CPUs (well, maybe Pro OGL cards) but Matrox cards do currently have issues running Quake 3 with SMP.

Although apps do have to be specifically coded to take advantage of a second CPU I believe that you can choose what CPU apps run on - so you could have MP3 encoding running full speed on the 2nd CPU and leave the 1st 550 for normal use with other stuff.

Note though that 2 * P3-550 is not = P3-1100 - there is a slight overhead incurred while syncing the 2 CPUs.

And finally a question: I know that CPUs can be run assymetric - can anyone shed any light on the requirements for this? What OS? What board? Is it even possible on Intel chips - or is it limited to Alpha's or other?

Paul.

[MultimediaMan]

I briefly had a BP-6...Stay away from it until Abit releases a true FCPGA Duallie rather than their Socket 370 kluge.

It was a neat idea at the time, but with the
"older" P3s getting so darn cheap it's really not so much of an issue anymore.

In Win2K, to get the CPUs to dedicate themselves to one application or another requires a small plugin called SMPSeesaw.

Generally you need two things to take full advantage of a multiprocessor machine: A Multiprocessing OS, and applications written that incorporate multithreaded tasks.

If the app isn't multithreaded, that's where SMPSeesaw comes in handy: you can specify how much processor time apps get without the OS trying to "load balance" the entire system.

With my Dual P2 266 under Win2k, it is possible to surf, burn a CD-R, have ICQ running and listen to internet radio without making a coaster. Try THAT with Win9x.

Soon though, things will be even better...I've got another Duallie board..it will run dual P3 450s...Heheheheheheee





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My (Current) Primary system:

Abit BE6 (QP BIOS)
P3 450
384MB PC-100 SDRAM (Non-ECC)
Matrox Marvel G200-TV AGP (NTSC) 16Mb w/ HW-DVD Module v2.7 BIOS
Quantum 3D Obsidian X-24 Voodoo2 card PCI66
Linksys LNE 10/100TX PCI NIC
SBlive (W/ OD I/O Card, Liveware 3.0 + Update) PCI
ADS Cadet Radio Data AM/FM Card (8 Bit ISA)
3x WD AC28400 EIDE HDDs (ATA66 Enabled)
Creative DVD5241E EIDE 5x DVD-ROM
M/S Windows 98SE (English)
DirectX 7a

My (Current) Secondary system

Data General-ALR2650(v.005 BIOS)
2x P2 266 (SMP)
128 MB PC-100 SDRAM (ECC)
2 x Number Nine Revolution 3D 8MB PCI Adapters
Adaptec 62011 10/100 PCI NIC
Onboard Adaptec AIC7890 Onboard Intel 82558 PCI NIC
Onboard Cirrus Logic SVGA PCI adapter (Disabled)
Adaptec 2930U SCSI adapter PCI
Creative ModemBlaster 5630 Data/Voice/Fax Modem (PCI)
Creative Labs SBLive Live! (Full Version)
2x WD 4.5 GB Enterprise SCSI3 HDD
Panasonic LK-MW602 CD-R
Nakamichi MBR 7.4
Windows 2000 Pro /w SP-1
DirectX 7a

Tertiary system:
P233MMX
Asus TX-97XE
128MB RAM
Creative Savage4 32MB PCI
Abit Hotrod ATA-66 Controller
Intel Create&Share Video Capture PCI
Creative Labs SBLive! (Full Version)
Intel PRO100 10/100 ISA NIC

Quaternary system:
P233MMX
64MB RAM
Asus TX-97X
Creative Labs Savage4 32MB PCI
Linksys LNE-100 10/100 PCI NIC
Onboard Creative Labs SB Vibra16

Pentenary System:
Dell Inspiron 7100 Laptop
Xircom 56k-10/100 PCMCIA NIC/Modem

Lots and LOTS of CAT5 cable in my walls.