On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 09:06:09 -0700, "John Hokanson Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> Okay, here's the deal.
>
> My Linux box is currently a Pentium Pro 200Mhz (256 L2 cache) with 64
> megs of RAM (esentially it's an workstation that used to run NT). I
> don't want to get rid of it because it's got a lot of goodies
> including a built in NIC, SCSI, and great case cooling (yes, I know
> it's a little long in the tooth, but I was told Linux doesn't need a
> Cray to be productive).
>
> The motherboard is dual processor capable, but presently
> only has one. However, it's also able to support *ONE* Pentium II
> running up to 333Mhz.
>
> My questions is esentially asking for what would yield the best speed
> boost? I'm leaning toward dual PPros, but not if there are known
> SMP problems under Linux.
>
> I'm also intending on upgrading the RAM.
>
> Thanks it advance.
>
> - John
Linux SMP is great. To have the full effect of SMP, however, you may need to
compile your apps for SMP. Non-MP apps generally only run on one processor. This
isn't quite as bad as it sounds, since you can have, say, XFree running on one
chip and your browser on the other. You should also consider what types of apps
you use. Multithreaded apps should generally run better, since they can run
across the two processors. If you wish to use multimedia apps, you will benefit
from the extra MMX instructions in the Pentium II.
With these concerns aside, you are probably still better off with an extra
Pentium Pro. My guess would be that your kind of board is better optimised for
PPro, and that the PII support was included simply to provide an easy upgrade
path. Your PII chipset is most likely an early model, like an FX or LX. Pre-BX
chipsets have had a few problems, so it may be wise to stay away from it (the BX
chipset itself is still probably the best chipset Intel ever made). Finally, I
would imagine that two 200MHz PPros together would offer greater general
performance than one 333MHz PII. Of course, that depends greatly on the quality
of your motherboard and RAM.
--
Sridhar Dhanapalan
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