Pentium 4 dual cpu?

[Guest]

Is there such thing as a Pentium 4 3.00 GHz dual core or dual cpu?

I searched the passmark cpu database and found [Dual CPU] Intel Pentium 4 3.06GHz with a score of 489 and Intel Pentium 4 3.06GHz with a score of 470. This doesn't make sense. A dual cpu is only slightly faster?

[Michael (Passmark)]

I had a look at where the data was coming from. That dual CPU entry was coming from 6 baselines submitted from V5 of PerformanceTest. We've fixed so many bugs since then I can't even begin to guess at what the cause was. Regardless they have now been removed and there is no longer an entry for that CPU in the dual CPU chart.

Note that older CPU types tend to come from older versions of PT and the data in the charts for them may not be as reliable as for the newer CPU models.

[2006]

So you're saying that passmark V5 incorrectly reported a Pentium 4 single cpu as a dual cpu, or just underestimated the performance?

The reason I'm asking is because I went to great lengths to find out which cpu a not-too-computer-savvy friend of mine had. He copied and pasted the entry from MSINFO which said Inrel(R) Pentium(R) 4 3.00 GHz (2 cpus) or something like that. I usually consider myself computer savvy but this confused even me because I'm not sure if theres such thing as a dual cpu Pentium 4, and I know for certain Pentium 4 dual core doesn't exist.

[David (PassMark)]

There was the Pentium D dual core and hyperthreaded P4s, both of which can appear as dual P4 CPUs if the software doesn't decode the CPU information correctly.

There were also some Xeon chips (based on the P4 and nearly identical to them) that did allow dual CPU configurations.

V5 of PerformanceTest is now very old, and there have been bugs over the last 5 years where processors were not correctly indentified. I can't tell you now which bug casued the problem.

Just get your friend to run V7 of PerformanceTest on the machine to see what it reports.

[2006]

I think you're right about the hyperthreading. That definitely explains the confusion.

I will get him to run V7 if I can convince the moron that it's not a virus (he is reeeealy sloowwww)

Thank you for the reply.