Dual CPU Motherboards

[Solidous]

Hey everyone,

I've been doing some research on dual motherboard cpu's and would like your guy's input.
I'm working on building a new PC with a motherboard that will support dual CPU's. As to what I want to go with I'm not sure on. I'm of course stuck on AMD or Intel. I'm not really using the new PC for gaming (but i will game from time to time) but I'm really using it for Virtual Machines. I plan on setting up multiple servers, clients, etc on this box. I do know that Intel has the higher cache but AMD processors like the Black edition I have noticed have higher L3 cache.

What do you guys recommend that would work best with virtual machines? I do plan on putting a fair amount of money into this but not an exorbitant amount which is why I am considering AMD. I have considered just going with say a High end i7 processor but they tend to be expensive as well.

Thanks again ahead of time for your tips and advices

 

[geofelt]

What is your budget?

As a guess, virtual machines will want lots of ram.

I would put a good value on a i7 930 cpu based system. With the addition of a decent cooler you can overclock it conservatively to i7-975 speeds at 1/3 the cost.

Such a system can support 24gb.

Past that, you are looking at workstation systems which will cost several times more.

 

[Solidous]

My budget for between the motherboard, CPU and RAM i'm looking around $600.

I already have a nice full tower case which is water cooling ready, I have a geforce 260GTX which will last me for a long time and hard drive space is not an issue at the moment.

 

[geofelt]

My budget for between the motherboard, CPU and RAM i'm looking around $600.

I already have a nice full tower case which is water cooling ready, I have a geforce 260GTX which will last me for a long time and hard drive space is not an issue at the moment.

Your budget will buy a
i7-930($300, $200 if you can get to a microcenter)
X58 motherboard about $180.
6gb kit of DDR3 1333 ram $135

I would not consider watercooling. A good air cooler will cool just as well, and be cheaper.
Water cool only if you are looking for record seekong overclocks.

 

[Solidous]

i'm not looking for record over-clocking but i plan on doing some over-clocking. so a nice big air cooler will work just fine then? (don't want to cause over heating. I haven't done a lot of over-clocking yet and i'm just be cautious.)

Thanks for all your help so far

 

[geofelt]

i'm not looking for record over-clocking but i plan on doing some over-clocking. so a nice big air cooler will work just fine then? (don't want to cause over heating. I haven't done a lot of over-clocking yet and i'm just be cautious.)

Thanks for all your help so far

I like the large tower type coolers with a slow turning 120mm fan. Almost any will do. You should be able to get one for <$40.
A very conservative overclock will get you 3.33 which is i7-975 speeds.