Does Tyan 230T require matched pair of CPU's?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Grant Robertson
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Grant Robertson

I've got an old Tyan Tiger 230T dual processor motherboard. I have one
old 1GHz PIII CPU. I'm thinking about building up a test server using
this MB. Can I just buy another 1GHz PIII CPU or do I need to buy a
'matched pair' at an exorbitant cost?

I've tried looking this up on their web site and can't find anything
specific.
 
Grant Robertson said:
I've got an old Tyan Tiger 230T dual processor motherboard. I have one
old 1GHz PIII CPU. I'm thinking about building up a test server using
this MB. Can I just buy another 1GHz PIII CPU or do I need to buy a
'matched pair' at an exorbitant cost?

I've tried looking this up on their web site and can't find anything
specific.
Click to expand...

The theory is that you should have 2 CPU's with the same stepping, this
information can be acquired from the Intel web site. In reality how ever you
can fit 2 odd CPU's and the board should function but at a very slightly
reduced performance.




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Every dual processor board I've ever come
across has required processors with the same
stepping in order to function correctly in
dual cpu systems. Unlikely Tyan would be any different.
The board supports a wide range of PIII versions, but not
all in dual CPU mode. You'll also need a
second VRM. Tyan also says that only 512kB L2 Cache
PIII FC-PGA2 versions are supported in dual mode.

http://www.tyan.com/support/html/cpu_pentium_ii_iii_celeron.html
 
Tyan also says that only 512kB L2 Cache
PIII FC-PGA2 versions are supported in dual mode.
Click to expand...

Well, it seems that the cheapest I can get these CPU's is $140 each. This
puts the project out of my price range. For $280 I can get a lot better
performance out of a current single CPU system.
 
Wow! Thanks for this great link.

What is a VRM?

Isn't FC-PGA2 just the Pin Grid Array type of standard CPU that fits in a
socket 370?
Click to expand...

FCPGA2 is a Tualatin core. It has lower voltage requirement
than coppermine, a tiny bit higher performance in limited
uses due to some optimization but overall just a
speed-ramping type of performance per MHz over the
Coppermine, except that the smaller process size also
allowed fitting 512K L2 cache on the P3 (though some still
only had 256MB).

If you need utmost performance it may be time to replace the
board. If you don't, what is the current P3 not suitable
for?
 
FCPGA2 is a Tualatin core....
Thanks.

If you need utmost performance it may be time to replace the
board. If you don't, what is the current P3 not suitable
for?
Click to expand...
Well, before I set up the server (which is just going to be for MCSE
practice anyway) I was hoping that I could double it's performance by
just buying an additional 1GHz PIII for about $25. It would also give me
practice adjusting the CPU affinity in Windows. But I can still use the
MB and existing CPU as a practice server. It just doesn't make sense to
spend $280 to bump it up to dual processors. I guess I wasted my money
paying extra for the 230T before I truly understood the dynamics of dual
processor motherboards. I thought I had done my research but I guess I
just wasn't thorough enough.


Thanks for all your help.
 
Well, before I set up the server (which is just going to be for MCSE
practice anyway) I was hoping that I could double it's performance by
just buying an additional 1GHz PIII for about $25.
Click to expand...

Double it's performance at what exact?
Even in unusual situations with server-side scripting you
"might" get a max of 70% increase. That's atypical,
normally the benefit would be between 5 and 40% but it all
depends on where the bottleneck is. For a personal (or even
small business) fileserver the P3 1GHz is already overkill.

It would also give me
practice adjusting the CPU affinity in Windows. But I can still use the
MB and existing CPU as a practice server. It just doesn't make sense to
spend $280 to bump it up to dual processors. I guess I wasted my money
paying extra for the 230T before I truly understood the dynamics of dual
processor motherboards. I thought I had done my research but I guess I
just wasn't thorough enough.
Click to expand...

No idea how much you paid but it's still a fine board for a
server... just depends on what you want to do with it.
 
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