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**Paul** · September 29th 08, 07:32 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd

wrote:
I have been trying to test cpu performance using Nbench and have found
that I get better results running XP on VMWare system using a quad
core than I do on an XP system running a dual core AM2 5200+ or
5000+ . I clocked the same system with the two different processors
and was only able to obtain results about half of what I was able to
achieve on an XP system running in VMWare on top of a quad core 9850
linus system. For measurement I was most interested in Floating point
and Integer MOPs/sec.
I originally saw the problem when running a database program and found
out it was five times slower on the system running on system A running
directly on dual core vs system B running in VMware on a quad core
9850. The VMware system has only one CPU allocated to it.
When I realized I had a problem, I suspected first the hard drive,
then the MB, then the CPU. All have been changed out, along with the
memory.
Any ideas on why I am seeing this difference? I just feel like there
is something I am not understanding here. I don't really want to
install a quad core into a system when it is only utilizing one CPU

The Phenom has a different cache structure. It has a shared L3. The
dual does not. The memory subsystem is also different. I believe the
Phenom has the ability to run the two channels independently (and is
probably configured that way by default), whereas the dual core would
have them linked together.

If the clock rates were identical, it would suggest your benchmarks
or activities have a high dependence on cache and memory.

Try disabling Cool N' Quiet, forcing both processor to run at full
clock speed all the time.

This thread was a discussion of the things needed to properly install
WinXP on AMD. With SP3 out, I expect "Update 4" is already taken care
of. Leaving the "CPU driver" ? Start reading the thread from back to
front, to get the latest scoop.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=60416

(Last post)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/show...=60416&page=67

Processor drivers are available here, for the various processor types.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...30_182,00.html

Paul