Which CPU?

shayser

I'm trying to decide between this:

Dual Xeon 3.00GHz (800MHz FSB / 2MB L2 cache)

and this:

One Dual-Core Xeon 2.8 GHz (800MHz FSB,2x2MB L2 cache)

Won't be gaming but will be doing serious graphic design work. Machine spec inc. 4GB memory and SCSI RAID.

The Dual-Core is 330 ex. VAT more.

Which should I go for?

DemonOfTheFall

The two single xeons, I'd say.

shayser

Thanks Demon...

Would the Dual Core have more future proofing.. this machine costs a lot and I'd like to get as much life out of it as possible.

DemonOfTheFall

I'm not too up on the chipsets and motherboards required for intel's server chips. They seem to need a new type of motherboard every week!

Maybe the best thing to would be get a Xeon board with two sockets, and put a dual-core into one of the sockets ? That way you could add another dual core to the other socket later if you wanted.

To be honest though, the dual core A64 and dual core Opteron slay the xeon in almost everything, have you considered one of them ?

shayser

Don't know how true it is but I've been told for 2D graphic processing the Intel Xeon is better.. and that Dual Core is not necessary (never will a game be installed on this machine!!).

However, the business needs this in a hurry, the machine should have been bought yesterday, so for this reason and other reasons it looks like a Dell, who are love with intel. Machine is costing €6k+ so would like to make the right CPU choice at least! Like your idea of single dual core on a dual board but as i was saying this is 330 more. Thanks

gline

shayser wrote:

Don't know how true it is but I've been told for 2D graphic processing the Intel Xeon is better.. and that Dual Core is not necessary (never will a game be installed on this machine!!).

However, the business needs this in a hurry, the machine should have been bought yesterday, so for this reason and other reasons it looks like a Dell, who are love with intel. Machine is costing €6k+ so would like to make the right CPU choice at least! Like your idea of single dual core on a dual board but as i was saying this is 330 more. Thanks

is price a big problem if the machine is costing 6k+?? if it is go for 2 singles, but ids say 1 dualcore on a dual socket mobo is best option for futureproofing

Fanny Cradock

i'm afraid it doesn't answer the question, but i found this article interesting nontheless

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6389077-1.html?tag=lnav

ShiverinEskimo

2 x dual core CPUs on 1 dual socket mobo.

4 cores - now you've got one helluva calculator.

DemonOfTheFall

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=3824
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/20/intel_pax_bench/
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=paxville&page=1
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=paxville&page=1

It seems like it loses just about every benchmark to the Opteron, and uses as much power as a 1 bar heater while doing it.

If you've got your mind set on dell though it's gonna have to be the xeon.

By the way, dual core isn't supposed to benefit games, and it hardly does at all. Applications like the one this machine will be used for are what dual core excels at. Also, 2 single core chips are the same thing as one dual core, in general, for performance purposes. The whole dual core thing is just cramming them both on one die, it isn't for gaming or anything.

ShiverinEskimo

DemonOfTheFall wrote:

. The whole dual core thing is just cramming them both on one die, it isn't for gaming or anything.

....yet. Give it time.

DemonOfTheFall

Oh yeah, im not putting it down, I'd love a dual core chip in my PC even though gaming is my main use. Just trying to correct the OP's idea that dual-core chips were aimed at gamers. Quite the opposite.

art

Why not a G5?

SouperComputer

hmm well the main difference is that with Dual CPU's you have double the cache too.

I think a dual mobo with dual CPU's that will run DC chips in the future. That way you have both bases covered.