Some of you Dual CPU users have no problems at all running Windows 2000 with video cards based on nvidia TNT/TNT2/GeForce etc.... But you all SUCK (joking) as I cannot get it to go!

I've wasted many hours collecting the results below, check em' out:

Setup(s)
Epox KP6-BS/Abit BP6, dual Celeron 366's, 400's and 466's (on Soltek/MSI converter cards for Epox), nvidia TNT2 M64/CL GeForce SDR/WinFast GeForce 2 GTS video cards.

Yes, the motherboards have the latest BIOS and all BIOS settings are correct (according to web sites like www.bp6.com etc)

Results
Windows NT4 SP6a, NT4 5.22 reference drivers, Dual CPUs: Perfect using all CPUs (366's, 400's ,466's and 366's at 550MHz) on both boards... 100% stable in ALL games.

Windows 2000 Pro, Win2K 5.22 reference drivers, Single CPU: Perfect using all CPUs (366, 400, 466, 366 at 550MHz and CuMine 550E on Epox) on both boards... 100% stable in all games.

Windows 2000 Pro, Win2K 5.22 reference drivers, Dual CPUs: Crashes about 1-2secs into a 3D game using all CPUs (366's, 400's, 466's, 366's at 550MHz) on both boards... 0% stable in all games!

BTW: Even using the NT4 5.22 reference drivers on Win 2000 (no D3D support) does not make any difference with Dual CPU's.

FYI, Windows 2000 Pro was instaled as MPS Multiprocessor PC on the Epox board, and as ACPI Multiprocessor PC on the BP6.

Anyone like to comment/laugh at me about these results?

Thanx in advance.

I had also problems with Abit's BP6 with newer bioses. Now I'm using old NJ bios witn 5.22 drivers and it seems to run pretty stable.

(Althou once in 4 days some of services crashes and starts to eating all memory. Taskmanager shows no processes running and after a log out I can't log in because all free memory and swap are used. Any clues?)

What BP6 version do you have? 1.1 versions have had some stability problems. Check some v1.1 related topics here :
http://216.247.220.192/Forum/forum.asp?forum_id=2&forum_title=BP6+News+

I have BP6 dual 366@550, CLA 2, can't play any games unless I switched to AGP 1X

I have no problems at all.



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My System:

Dual Intel 850's
Tyan Thunder 2400 MB
256 Megs Ram
Adaptec 39160 Ultra 160
1 - 18 Gig Cheetah - U160
2 - 18 Gig Cheetah U2W
SB Live Platinum
Plextor 12/4/32 - Burner
Plextor 40x UW CD-Rom
10x Sony DVD Drive
Hurcules Geforce 2 64meg

Quake3 SMP mode 1 used to always lock up...
Here is how you fix that DAMN white screen lockup!
You MUST play quake3 in SMP mode in REALTIME.
The easiest way to do this, is modify the shortcut on the desktop to read this!

cmd.exe /c start /realtime /max e:\Games2k\Quake3\quake3.exe

Change the "e:\games2k\quake3" to where your quake directory is...
I have not had a lockup with this enable.
Gamespy wont let this command work, or pass the server settings to it. I currently just run the shortcut, and go into multiplayer and connect through there. Pain in the !ss I know, but SMP works great, adds 20 -30 more FPS 1024 and under that is.

I wonder about applying this technique to other games that wont run properly..???
I am going to try it with RALLY MASTERS...
Later

BTW, RONIN if a FREAK running that $12,000 system...

I'm a freak for running that kind of a system?

It did not cost $12 grand. Not even close.

Are you supposed to enable SMP 1 in Quake3?

Tried the shorcut and it worked but after I enabled SMP, I get the lockup.

...

Wrathchild,

I keep getting a lockup no matter what sort of setting I use, Realtime, normal, above normal etc, etc.

It was pretty unstable on my system, sometimes it runs, sometimes it doesn't. Take me a couple of time to rerun Quake and shut it down from the Task Manager to get it to run the intro screen. But once I get it running, the benchmark performance shows about 20% "DEGRADATION" instead of improving the performance by 20 or 30 FPS under 1024 mode. [More info from Games section under 20% performance hit on Quake 3 Arena when enabling SMP]

Anymore tips?

AGP x1..... hmmmmmmmm

I'll have to try the old BP6 at 1x AGP (I'll have to use powerstrip) and see if it makes any difference. I'll give it a go and let you guys know the results...

Ronin: I think your dual i840 board is the key to your success. As far as I'm concerned, most older dual CPU motherboards were not designed with gamers in mind, and the video cards just drain too much out of the motherboard... leading to problems such as mine.

As NT4 is ok, I guess it must have something to do with the AGP functions being used by Windows 2000.

oh well, time to fire up the ****box and give it a go!

Exactly the same symptoms as slkh here
Tried all possible settings, tweaks, different brand of beer, smoking something else ... nogo!
Q3A SMP on BP6 is bulls**t. Either it locks or performance is 20% worse.
I'm getting fed up with this moboard.

Ok, I'm back with the 1x AGP results and...

It Works! Setting to 1x AGP fixed the dual CPU problem(s).

I feel quite stupid for not trying it b4 but since I don't usually use powerstrip I never really thought about how to do it.
Anyway, I used powerstrip to reduce the AGP speed to 1x (even though I don't really like it) and the BP6, WinFast GeForce 2 GTS and Windows 2000 Pro all ran happily together in ALL 3D games for hours and hours.

I have the following observations that other dual CPU users have also experienced:

Setting Q3A to "r_smp 1" really does REDUCE peformance (at 1024x768x32 @ 85Hz). I put it down to the second CPU 'getting in the way' of what the other CPU and video card are trying to do (100MHz FSB and 550 Celeron's are probably not provding enough bandwidth). Windows 2000 pro is 100% stable on the dual 550MHz Celerons at 100MHz FSB (overclocked 366's at 2.0 volts). The whole system is SLOWER than my PIII 733 rig in ALL games (I knew it would be) Q3A demo 1 dropped from about 68fps to about 63fps) but otherwise the PC has a very 'snappy' feel to it.

I bet the Epox KP6-BS set to 1x AGP would also be 100% stable now too.