X2 + 2 CPUs / DualCore

Tare69 · Post by **Tare69** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 09:59

I have queston about X2 and computer with two prosessors or dual core prosessor... I have looking about Iwill ZmaxDP (with two prossessors) and 2Gb mem. I know that codename Toledo AMD (dualcore) prosessor is coming before summer and I need to know how much two prosessors will faster X2 (if somebody have dual prosessor computer)? But if I have 2xdualcore prosessors + 2Gigs ram but only AGP graphic card (no 2xCards SLI) then is that so fast?

Or wait to get all: 2CPU+DualCore+2SLI cards + 4-16Gb mem... With my now own computer have XP3200+,1Gb, AIW9800SE 128Mb... If I change AIW to some new card with more power (but it have AGP) and get some memory more... Need to know how to h..l I can get more power to machine that thise big battles of mine will be playable?

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 12:28

Dual processors won't help X2 much at all, I'm afraid, because X2 isn't multi-threaded. About the only advantage you'll get is that the innumerable background tasks you always have running on a Windows system will be able to run on one CPU while X2 runs on the other.

Tare69 · Post by **Tare69** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 13:09

How much will updating memory from 1Gb to 2Gb (or 1.5Gb) help? It's awull to try play X2 when it have battle going on... I have try to cut fat from XP:s servises but it do not help enaught

Only thing is to buy X800 card and put more memory on my computer then... Mainbord is EPoX EP-8RDA3G and memory is Buffalo 2x512 DDR400 (but DDR333 is what it works, XP crash if it is 400MHz)...

X2 work fine if normal flying is on but battles will put me on enemmys target

Too much happen ...

Drainy · Post by **Drainy** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 13:26

ive 640 meg of ram and it runs like a dream.
athlon 2600+, sb audigy and a geforce 6800 GT 256mb

Tare69 · Post by **Tare69** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 13:31

Has any person try to play X2 with SLI? Or AMD64bit prosessor (AMD4000+)?

ceogreen · Post by **ceogreen** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 13:32

I'm similar, 640 ram athlon 2400 and geforce 6800, I've only had trouble when using psg's. I think this was due to the cpu being unable to handle calculating the hits (certainly I doubt this is ram but I could be wrong)

$Vanger$.EG · Post by **$Vanger$.EG** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 13:41

You know, nobody will do a multithreaded game until 2006 or 2007, when nearly all new processors will be dual-core. But now it means loss of 60-70% of gamers). Hyper-Threading is not a real SMP, you know. And (flame! flame!) AMD forever!!! No I want a dual Opteron system on a motherboard with forty PCX lines to run four GPUs on two ASUS dual-headed videos, but.. I'd better spend this money on a decent Stratocaster for my girlfriend).

I played on all patches with 2500+@2.32 / 512 333@422 / Radeon 9000 325/500. On 1.0 it was harsh, but, with the optimizations everything is running pretty quickly. I think, The Return would be optimized even better.

bladeuk · Post by **bladeuk** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 15:51

Tare69 wrote:How much will updating memory from 1Gb to 2Gb (or 1.5Gb) help?

not alot, if at all.

The game never really uses more than 300mb in my memory and most games will never use more than 512mb for a few years, that much memory is only really needed if you do CAD or Desgin on your computers.

Upgrading your GPU will help but not by much, especially in battles as its the CPU that cant keep up, just get the fastest CPU you can and the fastest dual channel memory , with the lowest latency, you can

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 17:37

The_Abyss uses a 3500+ for his X2, I believe. Basically, if you want good X2 performance you want the fastest CPU available and the fastest graphics card available--RAM isn't much of an issue (512 does X2 fine, more won't help).

Not sure how X2 works when using a pair of cards in SLI mode--don't think I've heard of anyone trying it.

jaguarskx · Post by **jaguarskx** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 21:52

Combat isn't the only time when you can experience lags or stutters. The amount of activity, and atmospheric effects can also stress your CPU & GPU.

I experience sluggish performance when I'm in Atreus Clouds. I only have 7 or 8 of my own station in that sector, and I deployed off the main grid. Actually, they are about 15km - 20km behind the West Gate. I put them there as an experiment on performance. I have no sector defense there yet. But still performance is very sluggish.

When I checked on the number of TSs in the sector... whoa... There are 45 TS alone flying about. Everytime I go to that sector there always seems to be a lot of traffic.

My current system specs are as follows:
Athlon XP 2800+ @ 2.1GHz
1GB RAM (Crucial)
Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB
AOpen nForce 2 Ultra 400 Motherboard
Audigy 2 Sound Card

Tasis · Post by **Tasis** » Tue, 25. Jan 05, 22:00

i have at least 20 stations in PE along with 2 m2's and like 6 centaurs and god knows how many fighters and i've never had any lags at all. I've taken XI missions in my oddy with all PSG's firing in 3rd person and still no lags, must be lucky i guess..

Tare69 · Post by **Tare69** » Wed, 26. Jan 05, 07:27

Problem is only when there is so much stuff in the space (in big battles like XI) so only thing to do is put automatic on and look what happend

Likely more power in prosessor is needed (like some AMD64 4000+) if upgrating memory is not nessessary. So I need new motherboard (SLI) + prosessor and if then PCI-E card... But it cost so much

Has anybody try to look how much more power on X2 is if you have some XP3200+ and then AMD64 4000+ (939 or 940)?

Darkon · Post by **Darkon** » Wed, 26. Jan 05, 09:40

How much will updating memory from 1Gb to 2Gb (or 1.5Gb) help?
not alot, if at all.

The game never really uses more than 300mb in my memory and most games will never use more than 512mb for a few years, that much memory is only really needed if you do CAD or Desgin on your computers.

Upgrading your GPU will help but not by much, especially in battles as its the CPU that cant keep up, just get the fastest CPU you can and the fastest dual channel memory , with the lowest latency, you can

bladeuk, if you had ever played Morrowind you would know that their is no such thing as too much memory, that game can eat 2GB and still want more.

Most games only need 256MB or 512MB, but if you have more they will use it.
If you have over 1GB memory the game will use the extra but you will probably not notice any difference.

Tare69, as pjknibbs stated, dual processors will only help with windows program running in the background (more memory also helps here), but as we all know XP hogs a lot of rescources and runs tons of stuff in the background. But to be honest I don't think the little extra speed you MAY get is worth the price tag.

After the 1.4 patch everthing was worked alot smoother, if you are having any performance problems wait until X2:TR is release it should show some huge optimisation.

PS: The only time I experience lags is when I am playing with tons of mods, after I cleaned my X2 directory and only use Scripts I deem essential it runs fine.

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Wed, 26. Jan 05, 12:38

Darkon wrote: Most games only need 256MB or 512MB, but if you have more they will use it.
If you have over 1GB memory the game will use the extra but you will probably not notice any difference.

Er--no they won't. If a game only requires 200Mb of RAM then it won't randomly decide to use more if you have more installed, not unless it's been programmed to do so. I would be willing to bet that if you run X2 on your system (which presumably has more than 512Mb installed, right?), then check Task Manager, that X2 won't be using more than a couple of hundred meg.

Now, Sacred is an appalling memory hog and easily uses a gig, but that's another game, programmed in a different way!

Creston · Post by **Creston** » Wed, 26. Jan 05, 18:34

Tare69 wrote:and I need to know how much two prosessors will faster X2

None. X2 is not set up to handle dual processors. For that matter, your OS most likely isn't either. The idea that more processors = faster is something that AMD and Intel would like you to believe, but it's rarely true.

Only when a game is explicitly set up to do multi threading, and the OS is configured to split multi threading equally over the processors, would it theoretically be any faster than a single processor that runs single threading. And even then it's a toss up, because the overhead on the multiple threads is quite large. John Carmack wrote an article about this about a year and a half or so ago. If you can find it, and understand it, it's a very interesting read.

Now, as for SLI setup : More graphics power = better framerates. Up to a point, ofcourse, if you're already running a 4Ghz processor (or the AMD equivalent), I doubt that SLI'ing a 6800GT would gain you many frames, but in general SLI will be slightly faster. Whether it's worth it is another matter. The motherboard is expensive, putting in a second decent graphics card even more so, and all that for maybe 10fps more?

In short, don't waste your money on multi processor blablabla. For games, it is NOT WORTH IT

Creston

Smegbot · Post by **Smegbot** » Thu, 27. Jan 05, 00:04

Creston wrote:In short, don't waste your money on multi processor blablabla. For games, it is NOT WORTH IT

Unless you wanna have a system that can play X2 while running Folding@Home in the background...

I think your best bet with your current system would be to splash out on a top of the range gcard and more or less leave the rest as it is (I'm thinking a X800XT if you've got that kinda cash). The only other suggestion would be to try and get your memory to run at it's proper speed (200MHz if it's DDR400).

Edit: That's great - my first post and it's full of spelling mistakes...

Tare69 · Post by **Tare69** » Thu, 27. Jan 05, 07:55

I did't get my memory to work DDR400 only DDR333, I have try (with old M-Tec memory also)... Yesterday I give a try with help from EPoX and Buffalo but my computer crashed every time... I put it 100%, put up VDIMM, changed cas (and so on)... Dadaa... Crash boom bang

... So I put old values back and it works...

I thing that EPoX mainboard is not so good...

I don't use that computer only to play X2 (I want to but...). I also fix pictures, BOINC, play movies, series, programming, surffing and do 10 diffrent things when using it... It's a atwull thing to do computer (it is about 14:st computer). Of corse I don't use programs when I play... My AMD XP3200+ is 6:st AMD prosessor on my hands... When my computer is on then it have about 100% use

Thing with this post was to get information about that how much it helps if I have SLI or more prosessors. Who have thiese things, are components usefull and so on... I ask this because I need to now that if I go shop and get some mainboard (only usefull is iWill ZmaxDP 2 prosessor small box that have 2x939 but only AGP)... So waiting some board with 2 (or more) 939, 2xPCI-E SLI or buy some board with one 939 and 2xPCI-E SLI and then when DualCore comes shops buy one then... Of corse if I get more power to computer I also upgrade XP Home to XP Pro...

lukethegordie · Post by **lukethegordie** » Fri, 28. Jan 05, 02:13

I think the max amount of ram x2 uses is 512mb, but I always beleave that you will benifit if you have more than the recomended amount of ram.

As everyone knows XP is the most Ram consuming windows based oprationg system to date, with oprations runing in the background that most users will never use. Including (until the sp2 updates) the very annoying windows popup messenger (Simlare of the win95 98 winpopup).

On top of windows background programs you have Anti virus/firewall software and anything eles that requires to be running in the back ground. As you can see all these programs require ram, thouse chewing up memoery x2 could be using.

I personaly always recomend having 25% more ram than the game capable of using.

Oh and i think you only need two CPUs on ur machine if you wanna perform high demanding multi tasks. Such as Converting a video file, burning a DVD and playing X2 all at the same time. Mind it would be cool if having 2 3ghz processeors gave you a 6ghz PC. Some day mabey

Tare69 · Post by **Tare69** » Fri, 28. Jan 05, 13:00

If there is any benchmarks about X2 and different setups (AGP & PCIe & SLI and prosessors) then if you mind to put it in the reply ... I'm ATI & AMD person....

Like this: http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphi ... 00-33.html

http://www20.tomshardware.com/cpu/20030 ... 64-32.html

bladeuk · Post by **bladeuk** » Fri, 28. Jan 05, 14:46

2 CPUs would be very handy if you wanted to record your battles using fraps, has anyone tried this?

On single core CPU's it stutters like hell

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