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64bit Dual-Core or 32bit single??

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squirrellydw:

Correct me if I am wrong but it shouldn't make a much of a differences if I use a 64bit Dual-Core or 32bit single.  I have read the FAQ I just want to make sure.  I plan on playing mostly the classics but I also like Area51 and BLITZ but even the fastest CPU can't play BLITZ right?  So I would be better off going with a single right?

MYX:

From the MAME website

M12. Does MAME benefit from SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) / HT (Hyper-Threading) / dual cores?

No. Emulation is a task that is very difficult to scale to multiple processors. Most of the time the emulated CPUs (if there are more than one) have to be in tight synchronization, and achieving this would outweigh any performance gain you would get.

Some tasks are well suited to being parallel, like eating lots of pizza. Others are not. You can't get a child in one month by having intercourse with nine women (in fact, if they find out, there is a significant risk you won't ever be able to have children...).

If you have two persons sorting beans and they need to check that they both sort at the exact same pace, both sorting one bean at the same time, it will take longer to sort the beans than if one person did it.

On the other hand, if you have two persons each unloading different trucks and they just have to start unloading the trucks at the same time, it will be much faster than if one person did it.

Very small tasks do not fit well into the multiprocessor way of thinking. The greatest benefit of a multi-CPU machine for MAME is that you can put MAME on one CPU and everything else on the other, freeing up some few percent of CPU power.

There of course has to be an exception - the Linux version of AdvanceMAME uses the second CPU to copy the graphics bitmap to the screen, but this is not a major speedup.

krick:

I'm building a new computer for my MAME cab using an AMD Opteron 148 (64-bit, single core) overclocked to 2800MHz.  This is the same speed as an FX-57, which costs $800 more.

This is about as fast as it gets for MAME.

Dual cores actually run MAME slower based on some reports over on mame.net.

Some of the highest speed P4 processors can run certain games faster than my AMD, but they generate so much heat, they'll probably burst into flames when put inside a MAME cabinet.

Incidentally, I can *almost* run my CPU stable at 2900MHz with the stock heatsink and fan that comes with it.  I even picked up a Thermalright XP-120 cooler but the longest I could get it stable was a 12 hour run of Prime95.  :(



squirrellydw:

This is the CPU I am looking to get

--- Code: ---Brand Intel
Series Pentium 4
Model BX80546PG3000E
CPU Socket Type Socket 478
Core Prescott
Multi-Core Single-Core
Name Pentium 4 3.0E
Operating Frequency 3.0GHz
FSB 800MHz
L1 Cache 12KB+16KB
L2 Cache 1MB
Process Type 90 nm
Hyper-Threading Support Yes
64 bit Support No
Multimedia Instruction MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3
Voltage 1.25-1.525V
Cooling Device Heatsink and Fan
--- End code ---



krick:

Prescott CPUs run EXTREMELY hot.  If you're considering putting this in a closed arcade cabinet, this is something to consider.  Also, this generally means that they need a loud fan to keep them cool.  Nearly every customer review I find complains about the noisy fan.  Read some of the reviews of the Prescott 3.0 and see what they say.  If you can find a Northwood 3.0 at a similar price, I highly recommend you get it instead of the Prescott.

If this is for a dedicated MAME machine, you might want to consider turning Hyperthreading off.  I've seen reports that Hyperthreading causes performance problems with MAME.  Again, do some searching and see what you find.

Honestly, unless you already have an Intel motherboard in hand, I'd seriously consider getting an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ or faster.  The 3200+ consistently beats the prescott 3.0 in almost every benchmark.  And according to the MAME team, AMD processors usually run MAME faster on most games.

Let's look at prices on newegg, shall we...
The socket 478 Prescott 3.0  that you're looking at is $192
A socket 939 athlon 64 3200+ is $168

The really cool thing is that the latest 3200+ CPUs are great overclockers.  Most people easily get to 2.6 GHZ (FX-55 speeds), a lot get to 2.7GHz, and some even get to 2.8GHz (FX-57 speeds).  And this is with the stock cooler!!!

You can pretty much forget about overclocking a Prescott 3.0 without investing in some serious cooling.

Another thing to consider is that socket 478 is a dead end.  If you buy a socket 478 board and a Prescott 3.0.  You really don't have much in the way of upgrade options.  The highest you can go is to a 3.4GHz P4.

With a socket 939 board, you can upgrade to an FX-57 (single core) or an FX-60 (dual core).  And who knows, AMD may still make faster socket 939 cpus in the future.  478 is dead.  Intel isn't making any new cpus for it.



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