Dual P3 System! Help me configure

[Twsmit]

First off all, im looking into picking up parts off ebay, the for sale/trade forum and either refurb or lowcost new parts off websites.

I have a few questions..... I want somewere between 700mhz - 1.26ghz dual system. SDRAM or DDR. I already have 128MB of PC100 and drives. I want to build the system for fun, and as a LAN party server for weekends. Plus use it as a print server and MP3 server during the week. I know i could continue using my PII server to do this, but I want to do some experimentation. I missed out on the P3 generation, and i can think of nothing more fun than tinkering with an older dual cpu rig.

1.) First off what sort of motherboard should i look at? Slot 1 or Socket 370?
2.) If i go slot 1, can a 'socket T' or slocket give me the option to run a tualuatin down the road.
3.) which CPU's can run in dual mode? I know P3 Tualatin-S can, what about the older generation coppermines and before? Can any celerons run dual and if so what sort of mods do i need to do this?
4.) is it worth going with the 'newer' Via DDR chipset? I can pull 512MB DDRfrom my system and treat myself to an upgrade on my main rig. Does the Via chipset allow more than 512MB of ram?


What i was thinking was getting a 'really good' Slot 1 mobo. Getting some socket370 adapters and putting in some cheap dual capable P3s or celerons. I just want to know if that will work.

Ok im making the post really long... sorry about that. I just need something to mess around with for as cheap as possible. What do you all recommend?

 

[Vette73]

Why a P3?? A better bang for your buck would be a Dual Athlon XP system.

BUT, for a P3 go socket 370, and get a board with the updated VIA chipset with DDR support. And yes the VIA chipset can take way more then 512megs of ram

 

[Twsmit]

im thinking this for fun. Most of the dual socket A boards are $150 plus the cost of the cpus. Its still an option, but id rather be cheap and slow, then spend alot of money for good performance for something that i dont really have a use for.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Twsmit
im thinking this for fun. Most of the dual socket A boards are $150 plus the cost of the cpus. Its still an option, but id rather be cheap and slow, then spend alot of money for good performance for something that i dont really have a use for.

Well the P3's will cost WAY more then 2 Athlon XP's. Also for the P3's to run in dual they have to be the same batch or certain numbers must match. So finding a matching pair that will nor break the bank will not be easy. While you can get a couple of Athlon XP's for less then $100 and be set. Let alone the extra power they will offer.

 

[Twsmit]

How does this mobo look?

here

I can get it for under $50. It has ATA 100 Raid, modern AGP 4x, 100/133FSB support for coppermines and up to 2gigs of ram. (something intel chips of the day couldnt do)

I have also gotten a hold of 2x 256MB PC133 CL2 for $45 and I already have 128MB and a few harddrives. Now all i need to do is find some CPU's. I can get 2x 1ghz coppermines for $200, but im thinking of getting some matching 800ish mhz P3's. The whole system is going to come near 200 - 250$, but going with an athlon rig the motherboard is atleast 100 - 200$ so i think im saving some money. And this is mostly just for fun.

 

[beatle]

I agree with Marlin on this one. The performance dividends on a dual system aren't really realized until you run a lot of CPU intensive applications at once or use programs that use SMP extensively. Even then expect overall performance to only be about 50-70% faster that of a single CPU. I have a dual cpu setup as a LAN/backup/crunching rig, but only because it was given to me. A single tbird @ 1GHz would smoke it back and forth An AXP would eat it for lunch and pick its teeth with the slot connectors! :Q Unless you have a specific reason to get a dual cpu, I'd say you can get a better performing (and quieter!) system for less money by going w/a single cpu.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: beatle
I agree with Marlin on this one. The performance dividends on a dual system aren't really realized until you run a lot of CPU intensive applications at once or use programs that use SMP extensively. Even then expect overall performance to only be about 50-70% faster that of a single CPU. I have a dual cpu setup as a LAN/backup/crunching rig, but only because it was given to me. A single tbird @ 1GHz would smoke it back and forth An AXP would eat it for lunch and pick its teeth with the slot connectors! :Q Unless you have a specific reason to get a dual cpu, I'd say you can get a better performing (and quieter!) system for less money by going w/a single cpu.

^^ what he said, all the way. I've been there, done that, with a dual-P3 733. It's nothing too special... slower than a single 933 practially all the time, unless you've got a specialty multithreaded app. When I replaced it with a single AthlonXP at 1466MHz (same total MHz) it was a big, big improvement in day-to-day usage.

 

[INemtsev]

I agree also but I cant use fancy words like the guy above.....anyways yeah.....dual p3 is expensive....p3 ARE EXPENSIVE!!! poor DDR support for p3 will cause bad memory bandwidth

 

[Twsmit]

Took your guys advice, partly because it makes sense to go with the faster rig, and partly because i got a really good deal on ebay for a 100% working refurb Asus A7M266-D.

Im going to try to setup some dual XP1800 - XP2100 mod them to MP and 512- 1 gig of ram. Should smoke the P3 system and will come in only a little more expensive. It was funny, the dual AMD boards were going for over $200, but the CPU's less than $50. For intel the motherboards were going for around 30 - $50, but the CPU's were close to 80 - $100 each. Just made sense going AMD for the performance.

Thanks again guys.