Help me choose a processor

[TRDCorolla1]

Yes, absolutely correct. Waiting for Vista is your best choice. You can use your 64-bit dual core system on XP perfectly with no problems whatsoever. I'm saying that with confidence. I think there are supplemental downloads on Microsoft somewhere that help to take advantage of dual core processors. I made a post about it last year. I'll see if I can dig it up again. If you wait a bit longer, you can get the 7900GT, lol.

 

[Lord Kalthorn]

I thought XP already had Dual Core features because of the HT in Pro must at least. Its been running like that with two CPU screens on the Task Manager for years now. I don't know what it does with an 840, probably has four screens.

 

[JustinMcG67]

HT is just a logical processor. It essense it makes the physical CPU think that it has 'another' CPU. So therefore the read out in Task manager is two CPUs, when in reality it's only one. The HT processor is just a technique used to process more. Nothing fancy.

 

[Lord Kalthorn]

Ah yes but unlike other processing techniques to speed up the processor, HT can handle two threads, making it in theory, a Dual Core. Hence the double readout.

 

[JustinMcG67]

Tis true.

If you want a "dual-core" then you need really two cores, if you want "double processing" so to speak, then get relativly any processor that has HT and presto, two cores processing.

 

[jac006]

Ah yes but unlike other processing techniques to speed up the processor, HT can handle two threads, making it in theory, a Dual Core. Hence the double readout.

In theory though. Not a true dual core. The x2 4800+ can outperform any intel single based core with HT in multithreaded apps...

 

[JustinMcG67]

True again.

However the topic is really, "Is it a 'dual' core". With that said, yes, an HT processor is essentiall 'dual' because it has multiple CPUs, however, a 'true' dual core will always be faster. HT was a groundbreaking technology, but it has absolutly nothing compared to a true dual core CPU.

Also, on a side note, HT takes whatever you have, and multiplies it by two, which is why single cores show up as two CPU, and which is why dual cores with HT show up as four CPUs.

 

[Lord Kalthorn]

Just like Dual Cores are nothing compared to their Dual Processor setup Counterparts

Well hopefully, I'm banking on that cause I'm getting Dual Xeons, cause its cheaper than a Dual Core Xeon which I don't think have HT? The single Core Xeons do. So its actually more threads anyway, even if Dual Core is as good as Dual Processor, plus its half the price Even including the motherboard.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

SP2 slows down Dual-Core processors to an extent. You can spend a bundle on a fast motherboard. You follow Microsoft's advice and do all the necessary upgrades and patches. Then you find out that if your motherboard has multiple processors that support specific processor power management features, your system will experience decreased performance. Or in Microsoft's quaint way of putting it, "unexpected behavior."

A while back majority of the people noticed a slowdown, sluggish access opening files and loading apps. The usual maintenance was done like cleaned the Temp and Internet cache folder, ran anti-spyware and antivirus scans, and defragged the hard drive.

Apparently enough people have complained, so Microsoft posted an article to address the problem. They posted a hotfix. The details are in a concisely titled Microsoft Knowledge Base article: "Computers that are running Windows XP Service Pack 2 and that are equipped with multiple processors that support processor power management features may experience decreased performance."

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;896256

There you go...

 

[ownage]

Keep in mind that dual processors is slower than a dual core cpu. Theres more latency with a dual processor setup. And each processor needs its own RAM, while a dual core shares the same RAM. Dual processors arent always cheaper though.