Quadcores and windows versions

[Daniel ~]

Originally Posted by Favu

I will be putting fedora onto this PC and using the other one for gaming. Unfortunatly the games I like to play are (AFAIK) a PITA to get working under linux. Also as I am on an MS-Centric course, I need a windows box

Either way I have ordered by kit now, and I will be able to tell you if it works with XP Home or not, tommorrow! Yay!

So far, alll games are PITA for me under Fedora for me....hoping that will change.":O}

[Daniel ~]

So Pro won't run at all on a 4 core single CPU?

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by Daniel ~

So Pro won't run at all on a 4 core single CPU?

It'll run, it's just that it will only use 2 of the 4 cores. You'd have to install Win2K server to be able to use all 4 cores.

[Daniel ~]

Is this something worth doing? I may be able to pick up a copy used at a used book store. Never even seen "Server"

[Gizmo]

I don't think I'd waste my money on it unless you really want it and can get it cheap; Server and Workstation are the same under the hood. The processor limit is entirely arbitrary. As long as you have the multiprocessor HAL loaded, the code can handle 32 CPUS; it's simply a matter of making the appropriate registry tweaks to change the number of supported CPUs. There was even a hack for it on Win2K and NT4 to convert Workstation (or Pro) to Server, but MS forced it off the web AFAIK. The hack was necessary because (at least on Win2K Pro) MS incorporated a pair of worker threads to ensure that you couldn't make the necessary registry changes.

[Daniel ~]

I'd pick up a used copy of XP, but I refuse to phone home...ever.

[Daniel ~]

Steam Quake wars will only support XP-Vista... there being so many more vista gamers than there are Pro...what a racket!

[Samuknow]

Short of folding, is there really any reason to go to quad? Does gaming or any apps benefit?

[Favu]

video encoding does, that is for sure, if your software is multi threaded

[Daniel ~]

Originally Posted by Samuknow

Short of folding, is there really any reason to go to quad? Does gaming or any apps benefit?

It's the best, cheap, upgrade I've had available in 5 years! Nice Avaitar, could spark a movement! ":O}

[Samuknow]

Originally Posted by Daniel ~

It's the best, cheap, upgrade I've had available in 5 years! Nice Avaitar, could spark a movement! ":O}

As long as I don't incite a riot....

[Daniel ~]

Let them riot! We live in Cyberspace! ":O}

[Samuknow]

True. I guess I am safe here then....LOL

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by Daniel ~

I'd pick up a used copy of XP, but I refuse to phone home...ever.

There are hacks available for XP that prevent the phone home. Unfortunately most of the MS packages that you can download that aren't security updates require you to load the WGA Validation tool before you can download them, so that's effectively the same thing.

[Daniel ~]

I'll get by.":O}

[Pitch]

Originally Posted by Samuknow

Short of folding, is there really any reason to go to quad? Does gaming or any apps benefit?

Crysis will. In a huge way. Source titles using the 2007 Source engine revision will too.