GotApex? Forums - View Single Post

Devhux · 02-06-2003, 05:03 PM

The only Hyperthreaded-enabled processor at the moment is the P4 3.06GHz chip -- although expect the technology to trickle down to the 2.4GHz processors within a few months or so. In other words, your current P4 2.4GHz chip is not hyperthread-capable.

In addition, the motherboard chipset and BIOS have to support HT, which I believe is currently limited to the i845PE or Granite Bay chipsets (I know that the i845E chipset won't work).

Hyperthreading basically treats one physical processor as two chips -- in other words, it functions fairly similar to a dual-CPU setup (Symmetric MultiProcessing -- SMP).

Finally, as for whether you "want" an HT chip, it all comes down to the types of applications you use most. If you are mainly surfing the web or playing games, then you won't gain any benefit from Hyperthreading. On the other hand, if you often edit photos/videos or work with a 3D modelling application (3D Studio MAX, for instance), then you'll gain a fair amount of performance from Hyperthreading.

Hope this helps.

02-06-2003, 05:03 PM	#2
Devhux Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Calgary Alberta Canada Posts: 2,511	The only Hyperthreaded-enabled processor at the moment is the P4 3.06GHz chip -- although expect the technology to trickle down to the 2.4GHz processors within a few months or so. In other words, your current P4 2.4GHz chip is not hyperthread-capable. In addition, the motherboard chipset and BIOS have to support HT, which I believe is currently limited to the i845PE or Granite Bay chipsets (I know that the i845E chipset won't work). Hyperthreading basically treats one physical processor as two chips -- in other words, it functions fairly similar to a dual-CPU setup (Symmetric MultiProcessing -- SMP). Finally, as for whether you "want" an HT chip, it all comes down to the types of applications you use most. If you are mainly surfing the web or playing games, then you won't gain any benefit from Hyperthreading. On the other hand, if you often edit photos/videos or work with a 3D modelling application (3D Studio MAX, for instance), then you'll gain a fair amount of performance from Hyperthreading. Hope this helps.