What kind of difference can you expect between a dual cpu vs a single cpu setup?

I currently have a single socket 370 1ghz board running 2k pro for a file server. It also host's a web page of mine and ftp server. The web page doesn't get much traffic just friends & such and ftp is the same.

I recently came across a dual slot A board that has dual 1ghz p3's in slot format. They too run at 133fsb.

Could I expect to see any difference in performance going from a single 1ghz to dual?

I also use a IDE raid card in my server to gain faster hard drive access and have a dvd burner for backups.

Also will 2kpro make use of the dual cpu's?

MSI K8N Neo
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ @ 2.21ghz
1GB DDR 3200
nVidia 128mb FX 5200
WD 120gb SE
NEC ND-3500AG DVD R/RW

Yes for programs that can take advantage of multi-socket cpu's or dual core cpus, you will see a nice diff in performance over a single core cpu running at that speed.

Yes Windows 2000 does support multi-cpu support but you have to do the following.

1. Log on to the W2K machine with Administrator privileges.

2. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and open the System applet.

3. Click the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager. Expand the Computer branch. You see a line describing a single-processor PC.

4. Double-click this line, then click the Driver tab, then Update Driver, Next. Display the list of known drivers, then click Next and click "Show all hardware of this device class." Select the same type of computer you have, but choose a "multiprocessor PC." Click Next, then Finish, and you're done.

This may be a dumb question but how do you know what programs take advantage of dual cpu's?

Are there any sites with dual cpu programs?

I've never really messed with anything over a single cpu.

Also does all the following above apply for the new dual core cpu's? and is there anything special for XP?

Down the road I may build a Dual core AMD box.

Oh yea by the way... Thanks for the 2kpro tip!

MSI K8N Neo
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ @ 2.21ghz
1GB DDR 3200
nVidia 128mb FX 5200
WD 120gb SE
NEC ND-3500AG DVD R/RW

It will normally say something like designed for multi-threading cpu's on the box or on the website of that program.

Pretty much all of your photo rendering, video rendering and burning software that came out within the last year or two are designed to support multi-socket cpu/dual core systems. Games on the other hand are finally starting to come out with a nice sum of support for multi-socket cpu/dual core systems, but there are more games then not that came out within the last year that still don't support multi-socket cpu/dual core systems.

Yes same goes as well with a dual core cpu.

XP and Windows 2000 Dual Core support are pretty much the same thing. Nothing special between the two since XP was designed alot around Windows 2000 and shares many Windows 2000's functionalities. The only diff is XP will automaticly detect a dual core or a multi-socket cpu system.

XP Home doesn't support multi-socket cpu's, but XP Pro does.

Before you worry about the software compatibility, you are going to have to make sure that the multi-socket motherboards Bios can detect those two cpu's. If you stick them in and it only detects one, then you will prob have to do a Bios update on that motherboard model in order for it to detect two cpus. Some multi-socket motherboards require a bios update in order for the Bios to detect two cpu's. That's something you are going to have to find out for yourself by sticking the two cpu's in there and going into the bios and seeing if it detects two cpu's.

You're welcome.

While multi-socket systems are definitely "cool" and can provide huge performance gains in certain applications, a single 1GHz processor will have absolutely no problems keeping a 100Mbps network connection stoked with data.

Hell, my 1.13GHz server has no problems maxing out a GigE connection when it has to (during DVD Ripping Season :P ).

There's really no point in a dual CPU server unless you decide to get a T3 connection and host your website to more (a lot more) people than just family and friends.

Super Pentium III: NOW WITH 7950GT AGP!
PIII-S cpu overclocked to 1.66GHz--As fast as a 2.5GHz P4!
2GB of PC2700 memory
QDI Advance 12T board
Audigy 2
Vista Home Premium

I was just wonering as I already have the motherboard.

It is a Tyan Tiger 133 S1834D Dual Slot 1 PII/PIII Motherboard which came with dual 600mhz cpus, in a server case with 4 20 gig seagate scsi drives. I only paid $5 for it so I don't have squat invested in it.

I put in 896mb of ram I had lying around from old systems and put in a single channel scsi ultra wide card to test the scsi drives. I was looking on ebay at cheap 1ghz slot 1's for a maxed out cpu upgrade.

What's a GigE connection?

MSI K8N Neo
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ @ 2.21ghz
1GB DDR 3200
nVidia 128mb FX 5200
WD 120gb SE
NEC ND-3500AG DVD R/RW

If you've already got the board, then go for it. Even dual 600s are better than a single 1000, when it comes to a multithreaded network OS such as Windows 2000.

GigE = Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps or 1.0Gbps)

Super Pentium III: NOW WITH 7950GT AGP!
PIII-S cpu overclocked to 1.66GHz--As fast as a 2.5GHz P4!
2GB of PC2700 memory
QDI Advance 12T board
Audigy 2
Vista Home Premium