Multiprocessors to the point of ridiculous?

[CaptainHaplo]

Ok, I am now in process of building my next "game" machine. Its a 2 processor machine, total cores are 24 running @ 2.8GHZ. At some point, this gets totally ridiculous - because very few games or even "mainstream" apps can make use of that horsepower. Nothing is really out there that will use it.

At what point do multiple cores become a waste for a game machine?

[the_tyrant]

Two Xeons? *fistbump* multi cpu FTW!

I need all the power I can get from my CPUs I can get. You don't notice the difference until to switch to a computer with less power. I browse with 100 tabs open, compile huge swaths of code in the blink of an eye, game on multiple virtual machines at once (a lan party on a single computer!), encrypt huge folders (my porn takes up more than a single 3tb drive you know).

But to be honest, most people will be satisfied with something more modest. I suggest looking into the Xeon E3 line.

[CaptainHaplo]

Tyrant - therein lies the rub for me. I don't run a VM at all, I don't multitask generally speaking, no video editing or code compiling either. It is kind of like having a Ferrari and never taking it out on a straight bit of highway at 2AM just to wind it out.

It is nice knowing the horsepower is there, but it would be better if games could make use of it. Multiprocessors have been around for a very long time now, and still few games use it to their advantage.

[the_tyrant]

By two CPUs I think you are thinking 2 * Xeon E5 right?

I believe 1 * Xeon E3 is a much better deal for most of us.

[CaptainHaplo]

I am not building it from bought parts - it kind of ... fell in my lap. So I am not going to fuss.

It is 2 physical processors - each 12 cores each. X5660

Technically its 6 cores each but they are hyperthreaded, so the OS sees them as a total of 24 cores. 6x2x2=24

Combined with 72G of ram, its got some oomph. I may need to replace my HD6800 card in it sooner or later though.....

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

At what point do multiple cores become a waste for a game machine?

When you cannot find an application interesting for you that actually could use all that bells and whistles, and when the stuff you actually do run does not show any difference in performance obvious to your eyes and senses, compared to a lower system.

[longam]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

I am not building it from bought parts - it kind of ... fell in my lap. So I am not going to fuss.

It is 2 physical processors - each 12 cores each. X5660

Technically its 6 cores each but they are hyperthreaded, so the OS sees them as a total of 24 cores. 6x2x2=24

Combined with 72G of ram, its got some oomph. I may need to replace my HD6800 card in it sooner or later though.....

You have a Server there and would be a waste to use as a desktop machine, but if its free.......You would be surprised at how many servers/functions you could run at one time on that system.

[the_tyrant]

do what I do. Now I only watch HD 1080p porn. Its all encrypted and stored on 3tb drives.

I use the toughest encryption and when the NSA finally crack it, all they will get is girls gone wild

[danasan]

maybe you can share that monster with the NASA so they can compute their next mission to mars

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by danasan

maybe you can share that monster with the NASA so they can compute their next mission to mars

I hope you're referring to Cap'nHaplo's supercomputer and not the_tyrant's porn collection.

[danasan]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I hope you're referring to Cap'nHaplo's supercomputer and not the_tyrant's porn collection.

I guess both of them could easily share a few cores and some RAM... I would expect that they are at idle state 99.9997 % all the time.

[CaptainHaplo]

Originally Posted by danasan

maybe you can share that monster with the NASA so they can compute their next mission to mars

Actually I am doing the seti@home project with it.