Re: Processor Upgrade - Some Questions

On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 21:05:43 +0200, Tom Baldwin
<tomba_nospam_@pobox.com> wrote:

On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:36:37 -0700, Eric
<BorgMotherShip@AliensR_US.org> wrote:

Tom Baldwin wrote:

I've processed a modest 8750 work units in 6+ years. Now it's time to
upgrade my processor for BOINC. For reasons that are not relevant
here, it's to be a Dell Dimensions; either a 9100 or an XPS Gen 5, the
latter billed as the "ultimate gaming machine" (the only game I play
is SETI). The price difference is �500 (not far off $1000), but if I
compare the two side by side I see little difference:

- Same processor; up to Pentium D 840, 3.2GHz, 2x1MB L2 cache, 800MHz
FSB. The 9100 also boasts "with dual core technology", whatever that
is...
- Same memory; dual channel DDR2-533MHz SDRAM.

Questions:

- Since it's raw power I'm after, am I going to get �500-worth of
difference out of the Gen 5?
- What happened to HT, which I read earlier in this list lets me run
two instances of SETI simultaneously? Will I be able to do this with
either of these?
- What happened to the Pentiums that I have seen approaching 5GHz?
These two have only a modest 3.2GHz??

Thanks for any insights you can offer.

Thanks, Eric, for your input.

Where have you ever seen a Pentium at 5GHz? 3.8GHz is the highest ever
released to the market.

I THOUGHT I'd seen 4+; perhaps on a laptop?? Maybe a senior moment???

Dual core means 2 complete processors in one package each with its own
caches, execution unit, decoder etc,etc. A HT cpu is partially 2 cores but
they share some of the internals with each other. So if you get a Pentium-D
you have a real live dual cpu machine. A HT cpu is one cpu that in certain
cases will perform better than 1 cpu but never as good as 2 completely
separate cpu's. If the Pentium-D's are also hyperthreaded then you get 4
logical cpu's and you can run either 2 or 4 copies of seti depending on how
you think they do on a HT processor. (Personally i would run 4 copies on a
HT Pentium-D system. Try it and then run only 2 and see what your overall
throughput is.)

I bit the bullet ---- Dell offers finish in two days --- and ordered a
Dimension 9100 with a 3.0 Pentium-D. They offer 3.2 but the price
difference was OTT. It was not until I got the order confirmation that
I learned I had HT too! None of the pre-order specs mentioned it, So I
can run four SETI instances. Wow!! But...

Do I just start SETI four times and Windows allocates the work
automagically, or do I need to do something different myself?

Are you going to run Classic or Boinc? If Classic just get a hold of
SetiDriver and set the max cpu(the very top box) to 4 and the box just
under it to 8 or more. DO NOT click the processor affinity box, that
locks a particular workunit to a particular cpu and you really don't
care.

Here's another thought: My impression from running both linux and windows
versions is that linux will process more wu's in less time in the long run.
Consider installing Mandrake Linux.

Thanks for the tip, but one thing at a time, methinks. Let's get this
baby up and running Windows first.

Thanks again, Tom

You do realize that Classic is closing, probably within 30 days?!