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Dual Xeon 3.06 is not for 64 bit op sys

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pyrofly - Oct 23, 2009 at 03:31 PM
 FunnyGuy - Jul 24, 2015 at 02:08 AM
Hello,


So I am very confused..I bought a computer from a guy in my neighborhood.

I originally wanted a dual core desktop system.

Well anyways, This guy went ahead an convince me to buy this dual Xeon 3.06 ms-9121 based computer.

It has four slots for ram and can take up to 8 gigs or ram..

I've looked all over the internet ,inclusing the manufacturer website.

They all sware that this is only a 32 bit architecture.

So my question is,"Why does it have four slots for memory if it can't run a 64 bit system?

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to these things..

Basically I want this computer to perform as well as a dual core, and maybe I'm not gonna ever get that performance from this machine..

If anyone knows anything about this kind of machine and the types of upgrades that I should do to it to get it performing the way that most of the current machines are running..

I hope I am wrong,,about the 64 bit op system thing..

I got pretty upset with the guy that sold me this computer..He swares that it can run 64 bit op sys..In my opinion he sounds like a know it all, but hasn't been able to clearly explain the do=arounds or what nots to get what I want out of this machine..

Did I get Ripped off?

Will this machine run a 64 bit op sys?

Whats the best gaming quality vga card that I can get for this..

Am I wasting my money on this machine?
Related:

4 responses

Answer 1 / 4
an anonymous pseudonym
Dec 5, 2009 at 03:31 AM
The MS-9121 ( MSI E7505 Master-LS2 ) only supports socket 603 and socket 604 xeons running at 400 and 533 fsb. That being the case, there are no 400 or 533 fsb xeons made with em64t. In other words, no it can not, will not and does not support any x64 operating system.

And even though that motherboard supports a total of 8gig of ram it can not in any way use more than 4gig since that would require a processor with em64t.

I surmise that the 7505 chipset was made with the possibility that intel would create a 533fsb xeon with em64t. That is the only way that being able to take 4x2gig (8gig) of ram makes any sense.

Did I get Ripped off?
Maybe

Will this machine run a 64 bit op sys?
Never

Whats the best gaming quality vga card that I can get for this..
Read next answer.

Am I wasting my money on this machine?
Yes. Not because the computer is worthless, because it is not. You are wasting money on it because in the end it can not do for you what you bought it for.
3
Eddie H.
Dec 24, 2009 at 02:04 PM
The previous response is not entirely accurate. Although it is true that this family of Xeon processors did not include EM64T extensions (aka, 64bit memory addressing support), it does support and can address more than 4GB of memory.

Xeon processors include a 36bit memory addressing register. This mode of operation is supported by Windows Server (2000, 2003, 2008), and I believe there is a registry key you can change in XP Pro (possibly even Vista and Win 7) to enable 36bit memory addressing.

However, the system you have purchased is not a great "desktop" system. It will, in many ways, operate less efficiently with desktop applications (including games). Xeon processors are meant for scalability, using software that takes advantage of this. Think of it like this... A Ford F350 Powerstroke V8 vs a GT500. Which will beat the other off the line and on the track? Likely the GT500... The GT500 does have a higher horsepower rating, weighs less, and, let's face it, it is made to go fast... HOWEVER... Install a trailer hitch on the GT500 and hook up a trailer with 5000 lbs of rock. Do the same on the F350 and see who wins on a 1/4 mile pull... Chances are, the GT500's chasis will give before it can even get off the line. The F350 might take 1 minute to get to the finish line, but it will get the job done.

On the matter of 64bit and dual-core, these are completely different terminologies. Dual-core describes processors that contain a total of 2 "execution cores" in a single CPU package. The Xeon 3.06's were *not* dual-core processors. They supported MP (multi-processing), which allowed the chipsets to distribute threads to multiple processors. Most Xeon-based server motherboards had at least 2 CPU slots. Your machine could be a dual-Xeon machine, or have a single Xeon processor installed and a second slot open. Some versions of the 3.06ghz supported Hyper-Threading, which would display to an operating system as a second processor (if you have 2 Xeons installed, you would see 4 processors). HT is a technique that allows certain instructions to be "interleaved" with others so they could be executed within a single thread/cycle. This does not improve performance by a factor of 2, but can, in some cases, improve execution speed of multiple small threads with gains anywhere from 1% to 10%. Some applications can actually suffer poor performance when HT is enabled.

Newer, Core-based Xeon processors are multi-core (dual or quad). These, in turn, can also support multiple Xeon processors on a single board (e.g. 2x quad-core Xeons, netting 8 total processing cores).

The system you describe is, by current standards, outdated... This specific family of Xeons was based on the NetBurst (Pentium 4) microarchitecture. This architecture never really shined in terms of performance-to-power/operating temperature requirements ratios. Dual Xeon 3.06 servers and workstations go on Craig's List and eBay for less than $200, unless it's a highly equipped server with many SCSI drives and a decent RAID controller. These all have specific purposes, and would be overkill for some desktop functionality, and highly inefficient for others.
0
FunnyGuy > Eddie H.
Jul 24, 2015 at 02:08 AM
Neither Ford would ever make it the the line, Both would break down about 100 feet from the starting line. :D Just playing! Great explanation though.
0
nugzzy!!
Oct 28, 2010 at 03:01 AM
Eddie !!

Great explanation on your part!!!

God Bless you for taking the time!!
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Answer 2 / 4
Dragonflypyrofly Posts 3 Registration date Thursday October 22, 2009 Status Member Last seen October 23, 2009
Oct 23, 2009 at 04:10 PM
I really need some answers soon.. other wise I'm just gonna sell it for $400..
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Answer 3 / 4
Nathan S.
Jan 25, 2010 at 04:35 AM
Yes you got ripped off big time.
This is a 7 year old system.
I know I own one... in the flavor of a SuperMicro X5DA8 (which supports 12GB of memory)
The memory is way slower (single ddr 333 to 400 max)
AGP slot is way slower than the PCI-E slots in the dual core system
The bus speed is slower (the pipe from the RAM to the processor)
The best video card you can put in there is a Radeon 4650 AGP which will be bottlenecked by your ram speed and your proccessor speed.

I tried to extend the life of my system and it isn't worth the trouble. Mine is now a server.
You would have to run a server OS to enable PAE and be able access anything above 3.5 GB of RAM.
Your neighbor is trying to offload his old crap so that he can buy himself a new video card or something.
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Answer 4 / 4
dickhead
Sep 1, 2010 at 06:13 PM
Yes you got ripped off, your phucked shoot him then yourself good luck and do it out side.
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