🚀 go-pugleaf

On Sun, 05 Jan 2003 02:22:06 +1000, Floyd Davidson wrote:

> warren22432@yahoo.com (warr) wrote:
>>"Scud" <arahmati(NOSPAM)@ihug.com.au> wrote in message
>>news:<av5qtf$tcf$1@lust.ihug.co.nz>...
>>> hmm well when i researched the dual vs. single CPU option there wasnt
>>> must to gain from dual CPU for what i wanted to do so single seemed
>>> the way to go unless you plan on using software writtne to utilise the
>>> dual advantage...
>>
>>this is true. and if the software is only written for single CPU, your
>>dual CPU system may be even slower than Single CPU system.
> 
> How do you figure that?
> 
> A single cpu system might be faster *if* there is only one process
> running most of the time.  On the other hand, if there are 2 or more
> processes running a dual cpu system is going to be faster.  On my box
> the X server is always running, plus whatever else I'm doing.  Hence
> there is *never* a time when a single cpu would be as fast as a dual cpu
> system for my typical usage.
> 
> I'll grant that if you are not running X and work only on one virtual
> console at a time, one cpu will be just as fast as two.
> 

Even then, not necessarily. Try make -j 2 to compile your kernel. I get a
clean kernel compile time of less than 5 minutes for my system (dual Athlon
MP1800+, 512MB DDR RAM).

>>and nowadays, CPU is speeding up very fast. buying dual cpu isn't really
>>goood choice if you run it as a  home user. when you upgrade, u have to
>>fork out twice of the money of a single upgrade. and dual motherboard is
>>very rare and expensive. if you need to change the motherboard to suit
>>fast cpu, u need to fork out more.
> 
> The same is true of faster cpu's.  But there is probably a point where
> buying faster cpu's is less cost effective than buying a dual cpu
> motherboard.  That point is roughly where the speed of a dual board is
> about 1.5 times the fastest single cpu available.  Hence right now it is
> more cost effective to buy a dual cpu system running 1.8-2.5GHz than to,
> for example, purchase a 4Ghz single cpu system!  (Assuming of course
> that the cpu load is generally not just one process.)
 
Since going to dual CPUs about 3 years ago, I'd never go back to a single
processor system. I'd *much* rather spend the money and get two not quite
state of the art CPUs for around the same price as one latest-n-greatest
CPU.

Cheers,
MvdW