Dual Core Procs and Windows....

[Fndr7070]

probably a stupid basic question.... but does a dual core processor show up as two processors in windows XP, the same way to physical chips would?

 

[dasickninja]

It depends on a few things.

 

[Fndr7070]

such as?

 

[dasickninja]

What version of XP you are running whether or not you got the dual core hot fix and which service pack you have. Its not like Hyperthreading where the task manager looks at it as two separate cores, but if your XP doesn't recognize that you have dual core, you'll experience a huge performance drop.

 

[Fndr7070]

how do I make sure I have the right version of XP? (I'm building a computer for someone).

 

[dasickninja]

I'd recommend XP Professional, and try to get SP2 since its the version that Microsoft is currently supporting. Also, after installing the OS get this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896256
You can tell what version of Windows you have by looking at the disk, or the provided booklet

 

[Fndr7070]

yeah, I was going to go with XP pro anyway, but I Just wanted to make sure the current service pack (for the 32 bit version, not 64) would support the dual core.

 

[Fndr7070]

guess I made this question too vague. should have just asked "does xp pro sp2 support dual core out of the box?"

 

[Colonel_Curly]

alt+ctrl+del and clickin on the performance shud say if windows sees a dual core no??
(The two performance ratings on CPU usage signify recognition I've assumed)

 

[BaronMatrix]

how do I make sure I have the right version of XP? (I'm building a computer for someone).

If you buy a copy of XP now it has SP2 on it already. All dual core chips are recognized unless you get really unlucky, but you can just upgrade the Computer driver in Device Manager if it doesn't.

 

[Fndr7070]

thanks.

next question.... since the Core 2 Duos support 64bit, should I get a copy of 64bit xp pro? This is for a computer that will be used mostly for gaming.

 

[dasickninja]

Nooooo. If you are going to get a 64bit Windows, you might as well wait for Vista. XP 64bit is very limited in drivers.

 

[BaronMatrix]

thanks.

next question.... since the Core 2 Duos support 64bit, should I get a copy of 64bit xp pro? This is for a computer that will be used mostly for gaming.

In my experience X64 does run a little faster but you have to check compatibility of the games you play. The major titles like Q4, D3 Splinter Cell, FEAR, Oblivion play well but others don't.

Planetx64.com has a good list of supported titles. I'm about to reinstall X64 on my 4400+ as more IE plugins are supported now. That was truthfully the reason I went back to XP. Now that MS is really pushing X64 it should be much better when Vista drops.

 

[BaronMatrix]

Nooooo. If you are going to get a 64bit Windows, you might as well wait for Vista. XP 64bit is very limited in drivers.

That's not really true. I have yet to have a device that doesn't have X64 drivers. All brand name devices have them. The biggest problem I saw was Internet plug-ins. IE 7 fixes that.

 

[dasickninja]

Well, you're the expert in that area. I'll go with what you say.... well.. that felt weird.

 

[Fndr7070]

so with vista on the horizon, I guess there's no point in getting 64bit xp, since there could be compatability issues.