Stupid question.. but gotta know...

[IFMU]

Ok, Im kinda curious... I know typically most would never suggest doing the things we do with our computers just for that little bit of extra speed/stability/etc. But we do it cause we want it all. SO in turn I need to know this here.....

Ok, on average I run at LEAST 8 programs 24/7 here.
An average day on my computer
4 seperate windows of IE (sometimes up to 10~12 IE windows at a time)
~ OC.com
~ XS.org
~ yahoo mail
~ things Im actively reading (can be up to a good 4 or more IE windows here too.)
~ sometimes other forums I visit regularly... 2 or 3 more typically
~ yahoo mess
~ AIM
~ Winamp or my TV Card watching Buffy ~ The Sheild ~ Enterprise etc
~ [email protected] (or Seti although rarely due to its server problems ~ one or the other not both!)
~ Asus Probe
~ Java/or other chat windows
~ Now if I run Gif Animator, PSP, Adobe PS or Frontpage ~ I shut off folding/seti.

Now my question here is... would I notice any kind of performance/stability gains if I was to use a dual cpu system?
I am runnin XP Pro here as well btw...

And yes I do mean that I DO run ALL of those listed at the same time for at LEAST 16 hours a day...

So would I? or not? notice any kind of difference?

 

[Colin]

Oh yeah, you would notice a difference. This is a classic example of how a dually can benifit a user without running software optimized for SMP.

 

[IFMU]

Oh yeah, you would notice a difference. This is a classic example of how a dually can benifit a user without running software optimized for SMP.

Dont follow the "can benefit a user without running software optimized for SMP." ??? huh?

 

[donny_paycheck]

Dont follow the "can benefit a user without running software optimized for SMP." ??? huh?

Each individual task your system is performing is in itself not multithreaded. AIM can't split it's load between two CPUs. Very few programs that us regular schmoes use will do this. If you have many of these single-threaded programs running at once though, a multithreading OS can send one to the first CPU and the next to the second. For example, AIM and Winamp would run on CPU 1 while IE and MS Word would run on CPU 2.

 

[donny_paycheck]

No Matter how an app is threaded it will have threades sent to booth processors.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but I have never seen a single threaded application, i.e. an instance of [email protected], utilize both processors in a multithreaded OS. Is this what you're saying?

 

[diehrd]

Let me say this.The operating system will always send threads to booth processors no matter if it is single threaded or dual threaded.......

Remember SMP is not run in an asymetrical fasion it does not dedicate 1 processor for 1 task.It is controlled by the operating system so that threads are sent to whichever processor is free to accept it.

See image of 2 instances of folding at Home ...

 

[diehrd]

Grrr I closed 1 instance lol I hate closing folding at home he he he,


Look sharp and see the taskmanger drop approx 50%

 

[donny_paycheck]

Right, my Xeons do this too.

But it only shows the average CPU usage, which with CPU0 at 100% load and CPU1 at 0% would be 50%. Windows NT/2000/XP displays it as such. The graphical representation doesn't accurately show this but try running only 1 instance of folding (I know it sucks!) for a bit and watch the temps of your CPUs. One will be higher than the other I guarantee.

The folding instance will only run on one CPU but if another one is started, the SMP-capable OS will send it to the CPU that is idle.

 

[diehrd]

I dont want to be a pain in the *** donny but the O/S always will use booth processors.

If you open several programs all single threaded like the guy stated at the top of this topic the Operating system will send tasks to which ever processor is the least loaded.

That is what i was trying to show and bombed lmao

 

[donny_paycheck]

I dont want to be a pain in the *** donny but the O/S always will use booth processors.

If you open several programs all single threaded like the guy stated at the top of this topic the Operating system will send tasks to which ever processor is the least loaded.

That is what i was trying to show and bombed lmao

lol

Gotcha, bro. That's what I was saying too.