Xeons really should be run in DP I think. Somewhere I saw a review not too long ago where they tested a P4EE against a dual Xeon system. I think the xeon wasn't quite able too keep up the pace in games, but they blew the EE away in almost all other aspects, especially multi media stuffs. I think they recommended the Xeons overall, but I can't quite remember.
It looks like for OEMs, Xeons are nice because of the 533 fsb, but P4s are nice because you save about a grand. If I go for the P4, then I get to add nice things like SATA RAID
In single processor configs the reduced memory bandwidth of the Xeon will cripple its performance relative to the P4. AFAIK there's no core or pipeline improvements, just diferent cache configuations and the neccessary SMP hardware. Depending on the app run at the research center you may or may not see a big performance difference between the P4 and P4EE. For certain apps an opteron/FX/A64 might also perform better so you should really check into what its needed for and if there's a possible upgrade path to a dual configuration.
Right now ESRI ArcGIS doesn't support Itanium or AMD 64 bit. I think it supports SMP, but I'm not sure.
The main requirements are craploads of RAM (1.5-2gb), a fast hard drive or two (shooting for WD Raptors), and a good 2D card (made by ATI or Matrox). A fast processor too. For P4's I'd like to get at least a 2.6Ghz. HT seems to be a nice compromise for the choice between single and dual processors. If I could find an OEM that carried Bartons with everything else, I'd get the 3000 or 3200+.
Our IT person insists on ordering from an OEM. Preferably Dell, but I think I've talked her into considering HP.
So, is there anything special about a Xeon in single-processor configuration that makes it better than a regular P4 with the same FSB?
Still trying to piece together a computer for the research center.
No. Anymore then a MP is faster then a XP. The Xeon is SMP capable and there is no reason at all to put one in a single user computer unless you thought you might go SMP in the future and if that was teh case then you really should go ahead and get the SMP board and a single xeon for now and then simply add one later. Most xeon boards will have 64bit slots for network cards or disk controllers and that alone is a reason to go SMP for me even witha single cpu.
If you use the XEON so that it needs a lot of memory access, it wont perform like you would like. All the memory access has to go thru the northbridge remember and it doesnt have enough bandwidth for 2, let alone 4 CPUs.
If Dell or HP makes Opteron systems then maybe. But still, the software doesn't use 64-bit, so I'm thinking a high-end P4 or Athlon would probably be a better option. It's just unfortunate that most of the "workstations" OEMs sell are powered by Xeons.
The only Opteron I could find at HP was the DL145 1U Server. For what comes with it (only one 40gb ATA 100 HD, no optical drive, no fancy video), I just can't justify the $3000 price tag for the fast chip. Now if I could build the system myself, that'd be nice. IT person wants to keep things simple and boring though.
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Geeky1University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
edited June 2004
gargoyle, what about a good, smaller company like abs or polywell or something?
Comments
The main requirements are craploads of RAM (1.5-2gb), a fast hard drive or two (shooting for WD Raptors), and a good 2D card (made by ATI or Matrox). A fast processor too. For P4's I'd like to get at least a 2.6Ghz. HT seems to be a nice compromise for the choice between single and dual processors. If I could find an OEM that carried Bartons with everything else, I'd get the 3000 or 3200+.
Our IT person insists on ordering from an OEM. Preferably Dell, but I think I've talked her into considering HP.
No. Anymore then a MP is faster then a XP. The Xeon is SMP capable and there is no reason at all to put one in a single user computer unless you thought you might go SMP in the future and if that was teh case then you really should go ahead and get the SMP board and a single xeon for now and then simply add one later. Most xeon boards will have 64bit slots for network cards or disk controllers and that alone is a reason to go SMP for me even witha single cpu.
Tex
No! Get an Opteron! It's better than Both!