Help putting a dual Xeon rig together

[jumblue]

Case: COOLER MASTER Stacker 830
Mobo: ASUS DSBV-D Dual Socket 771 Intel 5000V
Procs: 2x Intel Xeon 5060 Dempsey 3.2GHz Socket 771 2U Passive Processor Model BX805555060P
RAM: 4x 1 GB with cas of 2 (newegg doesnt have so will get elsewhere)
Video: 8800GTS

Details on the parts at Newegg: https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=5340248&WishListTitle=Dual+Xeon+Dual+Core+8800GTS


OK, this is my design for my games+video editing workstation rig. I currently have a P4 3GHZ w/Hyperthreading and 6600GT that I built back when that was top dog. Now I am driven crazy by all the options you have for build a rig these days. I have always wanted a dual CPU system and now I have the money so here it is. I already have the drives and power supply. My questions:

1) Will this proc+mobo+video combo even work? There is so little info on dual proc rigs.
2) Can I run both 32bit and 64bit Windows? I use XP Pro now but would like to dual boot to XP 64bit. Maybe have another boot to Vista to give that a try.
3) Will the mobo even fit in the case?
4) With the CPUs only 0.2 GHZ faster than my very old 3.0 P4 – will I see much of a diff in single threaded apps? I am guessing that my video editing should be way better with this new rig.
5) With 2 Core 2s there will be 4 procs – will XP 32/64 be able to see them since it only handles 2 procs? What if I use 2 quad cores, will it see 8 procs, can it?
6) Is there a better combo out there that will be a good jump in performance versus my P4, or is this a pretty good setup?

Thanks for any feedback! I am so confused >_<

 

[jt001]

1 - I'm no expert on Xeon rigs but it looks like it should
2 - You most certainly can dual boot them, but I would strongly reccomend against Vista, nothing more than eye candy, DRM infections, and slowdown in my experience.
3 - Yes the board will fit, the case accepts E-ATX
4 - I would reccomend against that setup as those are Netburst based CPU's. Woodcrests would be better, but I believe they require FB-DIMMS, a dual- dual core Opty setup I think would be best for you. Keep in mind that Opty's would require ECC DDR2. If you're gonna use a server board you'll have to use server RAM. You'll also wanna keep in mind you'll need a hefty PSU.
5 - XP is limited to 2 sockets, not cores, so you'd be fine.
6 - See 4

I think overall a highend Core 2 Duo or maybe even a quad would give you the best bang for your buck. If you're dead set on duals then go for the Opty.

 

[apt403]

DONT USE 5030s!!! Those are based on the netburst arch, they run hot, there slow, they just suck. Alot. The only xeons you should use today are the woodcrest xeons, there based on the same microarch as the C2D, so they run cool, are uber fast, they dont suck. At all. For the same price as the 5030 you can get a 5130, the clock speed isnt as high, but that hasnt mattered since the days before AMD was the performance king.

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT GET THE 5000 SERIES! GET THE 51XX SERIES!

Ok, now that I've got that out I feel better. Yes, get the 51xx series, maybe dual 5140s. They're very powerful, and don't eat up a lot of power. Now, you'll also need FB-DIMMS. Other than that it looks good.

Let me know if you need anything else, I'll be glad to help.

 

[jumblue]

Thanks so much JT, apt and Dante! Love that you all agree! I didn’t know about Woodcrest – so I googled “Woodcrest Review” and found this great review that totally backs up what you guys say:

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=xeon5160&page=1

Unfortunately the 5100s are way more expensive. Looks like I am in the 2.0 budget range. The 2.33 is $400 more for two, would top a grand. 2.0 sounds so slow compared to my 3.0 P4. Wow things have changed! I am sure for video editing I will see the difference but games?

OK, Newegg has them marked as U1 Active or U2 Passive. What is that? I googled and didn’t get very far on that.

Thanks again!
JB

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

It's true, the 51xx series are more expensive, but all you have to do is get the lower-end ones and they'll still be great!

Remember, clock speed means nothing now, it's all about efficiency. Games? That's a problem since games aren't designed for multi-processor systems. They can't utilize all those cores. Sorry, but it's one way or the other.

EDIT: Active vs passive? Passive means that it's just a big heatsink, active has a fan included.

 

[jumblue]

One way or the other. Well, now I know why you normally don’t see a dual proc setup in a gaming rig. Thank you all for keeping me from blowing a lot of money on the wrong system for me.

I guess I would be better off with either a Core 2 for encoding + games, yes?

Thanks!

 

[jt001]

I would say go with the Core 2 Duo. I think by the time you factor everything in a QX6700 would be cheaper than the whole dual woodcrest if you wanted to go quad(if you've got the money I'd say go for it.)

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

Encoding would be better with xeons, but gaming will be better with Core 2. If you're not too worried about performance then just go with a Core 2 quad.