Help-->Dual LGA 1366 cpu choice

[JdotH]

I want to build a dual CPU setup and have found that LGA 1366 is the way to go (until new SB cpus come out).
Im coming from a i7 2600K@4.5GHz so I want a dual setup that will trump this.

My dillema is understanding the hierarchy of all these LGA 1366 CPUs:

Xeon:
Bloomfield
W35xx (not sure if they can be in dual cpu config)
Gainestown
E55xx
W55xx
X55xx
L55xx
Jasper Forest
EC35xx
EC55xx
Gulftown
W36xx (single cpu only I think)
Westmere-EP
E56xx
X56xx

Core i7: (not sure if they can be in dual cpu config)
Bloomfield
i7 9xx
Gulftown
i7 9xx

??? Help....

...and thnx.

 

[k1114]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

In order to run two processors on a board you are going to need to be using Intel® Xeon® processors. For a dual processor configuration you are want to use the current Intel Xeon 5600’s. The Intel Core processors and Intel Xeon E3’s won’t work in a dual processor configuration. The Intel Xeon E7’s are designed for a multi-processor configuration so they aren’t the best option in a dual environment. My question is what are you going to do that you need a dual processor configuration in the first place?

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[JdotH]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors

Ur link is where I got my list from....it doesn't spell out which is better and which not to use....coming from an i7 2600 that is.

Thanks for the reply.

So i7 9xxx are a no go in dual config?

 

[JdotH]

In order to run two processors on a board you are going to need to be using Intel® Xeon® processors. For a dual processor configuration you are want to use the current Intel Xeon 5600’s. The Intel Core processors and Intel Xeon E3’s won’t work in a dual processor configuration. The Intel Xeon E7’s are designed for a multi-processor configuration so they aren’t the best option in a dual environment. My question is what are you going to do that you need a dual processor configuration in the first place?

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

Thanks for the reply.

I do heavy rendering and CAD work on a single PC.
I need more power to shorten my render times (CPU dependent) and dont want to build two seperate systems for my work.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

We generally have a dual processor workstation board right now that board is the S5520SC http://www.intel.com/products/workstation/motherboards/s5520sc/s5520sc-overview.htm . Before you go jumping into this board and processors make sure that you check with the software manufacturer to see that they will support multi-threading on this scale.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[JdotH]

We generally have a dual processor workstation board right now that board is the S5520SC http://www.intel.com/products/workstation/motherboards/s5520sc/s5520sc-overview.htm . Before you go jumping into this board and processors make sure that you check with the software manufacturer to see that they will support multi-threading on this scale.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

I already have.....they have used 4cpu configs with 80 threads with no problem.
That though costs $20k plus I believe.....Im going to stick with dual cpus....Again, can Istick dual i7 9xx in a mobo?
If not....

 

[shanky887614]

Thanks for the reply.

I do heavy rendering and CAD work on a single PC.
I need more power to shorten my render times (CPU dependent) and dont want to build two seperate systems for my work.

if its for rendering

this would be a better alternative

http://helmer.sfe.se/


it will probably be cheaper


better idea to make a kinux cluster then distribute the work (i say linux casue its cheap)

you could allways make a windows cluster instead but it would be more expensive

i believe hpc computing may be ussed to get the same affect.


you will need to look on google for the root you want to take


render farm/ render cluster usually brink up the results you are looking for

 

[JdotH]

if its for rendering

this would be a better alternative

http://helmer.sfe.se/


it will probably be cheaper


better idea to make a kinux cluster then distribute the work (i say linux casue its cheap)

you could allways make a windows cluster instead but it would be more expensive

i believe hpc computing may be ussed to get the same affect.


you will need to look on google for the root you want to take


render farm/ render cluster usually brink up the results you are looking for

THANKS.

I have been to the Helmer website.
A build like that though looks crazier then going the dual cpu route.
Not sure I can do it....And I want this to be a ease of use/home workstation not a huge awkward yet powerful beast.
Interesting stuff though.

 

[k1114]

Above each chart in the wiki link states if the processor supports multi socket and states other technology in it. Also states architecture which is important as to which will be better performance/efficient. But I'm guessing you don't know the difference or what any of it means. You'll want westmere ep or ex as the architecture is the best dual socket right now. You'll want at least a hexacore to be a worthwhile step up from your 2600. I7's do not support multi socket. And again I'll suggest waiting for SBE.

 

[JdotH]

Whats the release date again?

I think I am going to wait.....hoping to also see LucidLogic's tech in a mobo so I can use both a workstation card and a gaming card in the build (not sure how it works yet though).

 

[MU_Engineer]

I want to build a dual CPU setup and have found that LGA 1366 is the way to go (until new SB cpus come out).
Im coming from a i7 2600K@4.5GHz so I want a dual setup that will trump this.

My dillema is understanding the hierarchy of all these LGA 1366 CPUs:

Xeon:
Bloomfield
W35xx (not sure if they can be in dual cpu config)
Gainestown
E55xx
W55xx
X55xx
L55xx
Jasper Forest
EC35xx
EC55xx
Gulftown
W36xx (single cpu only I think)
Westmere-EP
E56xx
X56xx

Core i7: (not sure if they can be in dual cpu config)
Bloomfield
i7 9xx
Gulftown
i7 9xx

??? Help....

...and thnx.

Here's the hierarchy:

1. Bloomfield (3500) == Bloomfield (i7 9xx). There is no difference between the two except the 3500s support ECC memory. Gainestown (5500) is the dual-processor version of Bloomfield and performs identically clock-for-clock. Jasper Forest is an embedded version of Gainestown/Bloomfield and performs similarly, but has some different I/O options than Gainestown and Bloomfield.

2. Gulftown (i7 970/980/990) == Gulftown (3600), except the Xeon variant supports ECC RAM. These are the same dies as Westmere (5600) except Westmere can be used in dual-CPU setups.

I already have.....they have used 4cpu configs with 80 threads with no problem.
That though costs $20k plus I believe.....Im going to stick with dual cpus....Again, can Istick dual i7 9xx in a mobo?
If not....

First of all, you cannot stick two Xeon 3500/3600 CPUs or Core i7s in a dual-CPU motherboard and expect them both to work. They have the second QPI link needed for multi-CPU operation fused off. You MIGHT get ONE to work in a dual-CPU board though.

Secondly, if you have a program that scales out to 80 cores, you are best off in looking at a system that gives you the most cores for the dollar. I would recommend the following:

1. Budget of about $700 for CPUs + board and $1200-1500 for a complete system: two 6-core, 2.6 GHz AMD Opteron 4180s ($200 each), ASUS KCMA-D8 ($300), four 4 GB modules of DDR3-1333, your choice of HDD, ATX-sized case, and OS. Intel's dual-CPU systems (E560x) at this price are very slow quad-cores with no Turbo and no HyperThreading and not worth mentioning. Your i7-2600K is faster than a dual E560x Xeon system, but not a dual Opteron 4180 system.

2. Budget of about $1900 for CPUs + board and $2500-2700 overall: two 12-core, 1.9 GHz Opteron 6168s ($750 each), ASUS KGPE-D16 ($400), eight 2-4 GB modules of DDR3-1333, your choice of HDD, EATX-sized case, and OS. The Intel alternative in this price range would be something like a pair of 6-core, 2.40 GHz Xeon E5640s. The Opteron system will be notably faster in rendering but somewhat slower in general desktop usage since the E5640s can turbo up to just a fuzz under 3 GHz while the Opterons top out at 1.9 GHz.

3. Budget of about $2000 for CPUs + board and $3000-3500 or so overall: four 8-core, 2.0 GHz Opteron 6128s ($270 each), Supermicro H8QGi-F (~$800), sixteen 2-4 GB DDR3-1333 modules, a large SWTX-capable case like the Chenming ATX-801F (~$300), and an 800-1000 watt PSU. If you run Windows, you will need Windows Server Standard Edition or better on this setup to see all four CPUs, which tacks on another grand to the overall cost. This is probably the best bang for the buck system out there if you don't have to pay full price for an OS that can see four CPUs. There isn't much of a competitor Intel has to this system in this price range, since the Intel competition would be something like Xeon X5660s, which are still two 6-core CPUs and this machine has 32 cores in total.

3a. If you want more power yet and have a budget of about $5000, swap the Opteron 6128s in the above build for Opteron 6168s, which are 1.9 GHz 12-core units. You will have 48 1.9 GHz cores at your disposal and should chew through rendering quite quickly.

4. Unlimited budget- go with a 4P Xeon E7-4xxx or 8-32P E7-8xxx setup with the 10-core CPUs. That will give you massive amounts of rendering power, but each 10-core Xeon E7 costs $4000-5000, so you're looking at something that will run $25k minimum and might blow through $100k if you want a ton of CPUs.

 

[JdotH]

Best answer selected by JdotH.

 

[benerus]

Best answer selected by JdotH.

nOr get a Mac pro 2x Xeon X5670 (12 cores, 2.93 GHz, up to 96GB DDR3 RAM) and have something that just works. The platform of choice for the film and special effects industries.