500 v. 366 CPU/identifying suitable chips for dual CPU setup

[graeme_london]

Hi, I've been away from the forum for a while; had upgraded to an AX3S mobo with 800 CPU, and then added a new Dell machine.

I now want to resurrect the BP6 to dedicate to my MIDI equipment. Are all Celerons suitable for dual CPU setup & if not how do you check this? Also it seems 366 chips are scarce... also, would my existing 500 chip & a 'new' one be suitable for dual CPU, or would it be better to wait & source a pair of 366s?

Thanks in advance, Graeme

[davd_bob]

graeme_london
Welcome aboard...or welcome back...which ever applies.
Any celeron that will work on the BP6 without modification will work in dual. You can use a 500 and a 433 or whatever you can get your hands on. I think you would put the faster chip on the socket nearest the ram as that is CPU1. I have not heard of anyone actually testing mismatched chips against "matched" pairs as to stability but the issue in mix-n-match is what to set the FSB at. The faster the FSB the faster data will move from the MIDI input to the ram and to the hd. Watch the divider of the pci/agp clock when setting FSB...the cards will run faster at a 91FSB with 1/2 then they will at 92FSB with 1/3 divider. Most cards are designed for 100FSB with 1/3 divider.

I am not knowledgable on MIDI but I assume it would be more IO and hd instead of cpu intensive. In that case you will want chips with a lower multiplier so you can raise the FSB. 366s are excelent because they will usually run on 100FSB putting them at 550mhz.

If you check around you will find out that the Medocino core celerons which the BP6 was designed for, hit a wall somewhere between 533 and 600 mhz.
Good luck
David

[graeme_london]

Thanks David,

I've just bought a 500 on ebay for 14 bucks, so I can test the setup with that; if OK i can then keep my eyes out for a pair of 366s, as this seems to be the most flexible for overclocking.

Once again thanks for the specific reply and also the extra info which will be of great use.

Graeme

[InactiveX]

Hey graeme_london.

A fellow UK-based BP6 musician! Great!

Last time I was at a computer fair in Bristol (about 6 months ago), there were loads of 366s selling for buttons. Give it a try if you're still on the lookout for the Kings of Overclocking.

http://www.computerfairs.com/cgi-bin/cfi?M=1&R=2