To DUAL CORE or not to DUAL CORE

[skunkyfunk]

So what is the big advantage of Dual Core CPU's in the realm of DAW PC-building?  I remember one time Protools even required to disable Hyperthreading, which is the forerunner of Dual core technology.  

And I don't think you do YM and Photoshop while recording, do you?  

[abyssinianson]

basically, its just able to handle more of the background resources required of your DAW when you are doing sequencing, especially when you are using resource hungry synthesis work. in most cases, it really depends how your platform works with HT and, ultimately, dual core. some people's machines work well with it, and some people disable it altogether. i am in the midst of upgrading my PC stuff to an LGA775 based dual core platform so, once that is done, i will post how that works with Nuendo 2 and Cubase SX 3 so a bit of light is shed on differences that I am immeidately able to notice.

[bugoy]

sobra mura na ngayon nyang mga intel LGA775 dual core processors ah ? pero check this out muna ehehehe

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6389077-1.html?tag=lnav

Go AMD hehehe.

[abyssinianson]

this is true - for now - that AMD has the better performance outcome compared to Intel. However, a lot of AMDs choices are also more expensive and show no signs of decreasing in price. Toledo is upwards of $800 - thats a lot of money. Also, Intel is in the final stages of releasing Conroe which has been benchtested to walk over AMD's current 939 socket offerings (Toledo, San Diego and Venus). Not only that, Conroe is supposedly designed to run more efficiently and cooler than AMD's top of the line 64 bit choice while costing, on average, 300-400 bucks less than top notch AMD processors.

Sources for the cost of Conroe when it comes out vary but none of them were tagged to cost over 600 bucks - modest compared to AMD's current prices.

I dunno about you but considering the price versus performance ratio, I would rather invest in a 975/955 (LGA775) board that supports the Conroe series when it comes out because, while AMD is faster for the time being, building an Intel based machine is still going to cost me much less than an AMD box NOW. Moreover, upgrading to Conroe when it comes out is still going to cost less than AMD's offerings because part of Intel's plan is to offer better prices for its processors in comparison to AMDs chips. The way I see it, the more efficiently I spend my money on a PC upgrade, the more money I have left to use for investing in studio gear upgrades.

[KitC]

Having been AMD for my last 2 DAW upgrades, I can say price per performance-wise, AMD tops out over Intel but the upcoming Conroe processor indeed looks very promising. If there's one good thing that may come out of this is that prices on the Athlon X2's might fall in light of AMD adopting 65 nanometer technology to further compete with Intel. Either way, we all stand to benefit. Now if only more enthusiast mobos become available in the local market, then maybe we can take advantage of these newer dual cores but as it stands, we are hardpressed to find any good 955X and 975 chipsets locally.

But the post is whether to go dual or not. IMO, let your software decide. It doesn't matter if you're using the latest cutting edge 64-bit multi-core capable OS yet your DAW software doesn't support multiprocessing and your soundcard drivers don't support the technology either. Some software even encounter glitching when hyperthreading is enabled. So far, I'm positive that Cubendo and Sonar support multi-core processing and that serves as a signal for me to go X2 since I use both.

[bugoy]

sir KitC naka X2 ka ? anong X2 yung sayo sir ?

[KitC]

Not yet, pare. Still using a single core 3200 but I'm planning on a 4200+ X2 since the prices have gone down considerably. Depending on mobo availability and the pricing structure here, I might consider Intel when Conroe becomes locally available. The heat emissions of the P4 was a very big factor in my going AMD for 64-bit processing and eventual dual core. Power also plays a big role in my choice; you need a very robust psu to go LGA775, at least 450 watts - very expensive when considering branded psu's (I will never go generic again!).

[abyssinianson]

Kit is right, Intel P4s run hot - way hotter than AMD - but Conroe will hopefully fix this while maintaing cost to a good affordable amount. I considered water cooling for my machine but it stands as an annoying option because of the water pumps maintenance and the noise from the motor. I have considered staying with airflow cooling because it seems to be the champ within quietpc enthusiasts. I picked up a Ninja Scythe cooler which, when paired with a great 120mm fan, works great with standard and overclocked LGA775 based systems.

As far as HT goes, your software really should dictate this. Cubase and Nuendo work well with them but I am aware of cases with other sequencers where you acually have to disable HT for them to run seamlessly. I recommend browsing the forums for potential compatibility issues. Lord knows I've browsed them a lot to pick out my pieces of PC gear to make sure I wasn't spending money blindly.

The new  intel boards do require a lot of PSU juice and this was actually an issue I was looking into last night. I currently have a 400W Zalman noiseless PSU which works great but I am considering a 460/500W Zalman PSU as a replacement once my new machine comes together. Out of all the PSU choices I did research on, this unit put out the least vibrations and noise of the lot; I really like it.

Kit, you are right, there needs to be an availability of more boards to the PI enthusiasts. I think this is really weird considering that Hong Kong, Japan, and China have a ton of motherbaords available that even we in the US don't get access to. The local stores in Japan's Akihabara district has more mobos than any store I have ever come across in the US - bar none. I love that place.

[tWoKp.]

i heard the prices of X2's are going down this august. Myt aswell wait for that

[bugoy]

sobra naman mura yata nung SOC AM2 ng AMD ? diba yan latest socket nila ? sayang di pa ako naghintay kaka upgrade ko lang ng PC 2 months ago

http://pcx.com.ph/catalog/