Single Core To Dual Core

[Gliding_Nut]

Oh Wise Ones,

I have a Gigabyte K8NXPSLI motherboard and I'm about to swap my existing single core 3500 for a dual core 4800 CPU.

Previous postings on here have said that you must update the BIOS first, however I have a concern that doing so may jeopardise my existing RAID O HDD set up. The Gigabyte Website says:-

BIOS
Download Version Date Description
Download from ... F11 2005/12/05 Update CPU code
NVIDIA RAID mode default from enable to disable
If your system already use RAID mode , please enable relative settings in bios first

Download from ... F10 2005/10/27 Update CPU microcode
NVIDIA RAID mode default from enable to disable
If your system already use RAID mode , please enable relative settings in bios first

Download from ... F7 2005/04/29 Update E stepping CPU

Download from ... F6 2004/12/30 BIOS update for DUAL GPU on single PCI-E Graphic card

I'm at work at the moment so cant check my BIOS versions, but would you assume from this that if I'm already at F6 version or above there is no need to update?

If not, do you think there is a risk that if I "enable relative settings in bios first" (whatever that means!) before updating the BIOS it may re-create my RAID 0 array and lose everything?

If so, it kinda makes my motives for not doing the full C2D re-build / upgrade now a bit questionable....

Sagely words of wisdom appreciated as always please.

Thanks.

 

[weescott]

The Raid set up should be uneffected as its still using the same controller. To make sure you dont lose everything make an Image of the drives (good practice anyway). Or...if worst comes to worst there are programmes that can restore the Raid array and any wiped data.

 

[DJKahuna]

You should be fine. Best thing to do is start the computer without any drives attached, go into BIOS, change the settings, Power off, reattach drives and start up. Most computers will start without a HDD, incase they are set to boot from LAN. You'll be fine.

 

[Gliding_Nut]

Thanks guys for the hints.

Can you recommend any software or tell me how to go about making an image of the disks, bearing in mind they're two 300Gb drives so 600Gb in total?

I've several external drives but none circa 500 - 600Gb in size.

Thanks,

 

[Bolerus]

persoannly I wouldnt bother

I upgraded from a northwood 2.8 (non ht) to a E6400 and the performance increase isnt worth mentioning, I am heartily disapointed in the results

 

[LeeMc]

I suppose it deoends what you use your pc for and which programs you run , but for multi-tasking the performance difference for me going from single to dual core was huge with only a small 100-150mhz difference.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

I upgraded from a northwood 2.8 (non ht) to a E6400 and the performance increase isn't worth mentioning, I am heartily disappointed in the results

That would suggest to me that something is very wrong. What are you using the machine to do?

 

[Bolerus]

I haev just install photoshop, and ran the radial blur test

old system it took 1 min 45 seconds

new system 43 seconds

So that has made me much happier, but that is the first thing I have seen a real difference on.

In all honesty I have only had the E6400 running for 3 days, so I suppose it is really a but unfair of me to pass judgement yet.

I think I was just disapointed because I expected to be able to see a diference opening applications, running general stuff, loading times in everquest and didnt see any at all

will getting a better motherboard as opposed to the asrock vsta im on now, make much of a difference, in reality (with out taking in the fact I couldnt overclock with this board / memmory if i wanted to)

Or would that only really make a difference because of the over clocking capabilites it would allow

 

[Corasik]

I think I was just disapointed because I expected to be able to see a diference opening applications, running general stuff, loading times in everquest and didnt see any at all

Surely opening applications, and game loading times, is primarily limited by the hard disks. (Assuming there is enough system ram to avoid swapping etc). Either Raptors, or high end 15K RPM scsi disks should decrease loading times.

As for Everquest, It's engine really doesnt make use of much in the way of threading, so its only really using 1 core at any one time.

 

[Bolerus]

loading time in eq is processing, have proved before (when my other half upgraded her pc) the cpu has a lot to do with "zoning time" not as much as memmory, but a definate impact.


Again opening applications depends on what applications, some are indeed hard drive access time limited, others that have processes to do, anrnt.

football manger has lots of calculations to do, and I expended to see a big improvement on the speed there, I didnt see any visual diffence, I would imagine if i was to get a stop watch out, I woudl see a differnce.

The only speed difference I have so far seen is on the photoshop blur test, and the new system has 2 gig of memmory, as opposed to 1 gig on old. so that itself shoudl give a speed increase.

I have bought the cpu etc now so there is nothing i can do abotu it, but if I had known how small the improvement was going to be, I wouldnt have bothered.