DUAL CPU - Not Dual Core

i was talking to my buddy who said they just got new Macs for their labs at school and they are 8 core, quad core x 2

is there a mobo that can have a dual quad core set up like that or no.... that we can get out hands on?

 

Yes NVIDIA does have a dual quad core set up.
See the Image


For more details click here.

 

He means 2 quad core CPUs, not quad SLI.
The new Mac Pro systems got 2 Xeons on board. Motherboards that can hold multiple CPUs are in most cases server mobos.
Like this:

 

Yes: SuperMicro X7DWA-N and Tyan Tempest i5400PW are two examples of current dual-core Xeon motherboards. There could be more, but any dual LGA771, 1333MHz FSB motherboards should support quad-core Xeons.

However, these boards typically aren't cheap. I think $400-500 is the low-end on pricing. Nonetheless, they are available for public purchase.

 

IS there a positive or negative that they are server mobos or doesnt really matter.

 

the Tempest i5400 PW has Sixteen (16) 240-pin DDR2 FBDIMM sockets
on board can windows even utilize that much ram added on say i go 2gb in 4-6 slots?

 

That depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking at it the cheap way, then no, server motherboards aren't the answer. Additionally, if you want, say SLI or Crossfire, your options are very minimal. They're typically not designed with gaming in mind. Stability is paramount, so tweaks go out the window.

32-bit Windows is worthless above 4GB. It will not recognize that amount of RAM due to a 32-bit limitation. 64-bit OS's will naturually recognize up to 64GB of RAM.

 

The new Intel D5400XS "Skulltrail" Intel 5400(Socket 771) Supports both:
- Support for 45nm Intel Core2 Extreme processors in an LGA771 socket with a 1600 MHz system bus
- Support for both 45nm & 65nm Intel Xeon processors in an LGA771 socket with a 1600, 1333, or 1066 MHz system bus

It also does Nvidia SLI and ATI CrossFire (not at same time)

it's around £430 :doh:

BTW this is not a server mobo

 

understanably soo on the 64bit os but say if i do go to 64bit system then load up my CS software thats 32bit would the software say after effect or illustrator take advantage of the extra Memory

 

well you say sli or crossfire the server mobos my options are very minimal

but the i5400PW has two PCI-e slots wont that support two GPUs or it just wont support the whole SLI/Crossfire gpu cross connection

 

If you plan on wanting to game on a system build on dual quads you are in for a disapointment. These are workstation/server boards with horribly slow performancerice ratios. The skulltrail is beat out by a single quad core cpu build on a crossfire/sli board. That skulltrail is especially crap, due to the performance loss for stability compromises and the crap workstation RAM it uses. Let me see if I can dig up an article for you....
Intel Skulltrail 3: 8 vs 4 Core Performance | Tom's Hardware

here's the game benchmarks: Intel Skulltrail 3: 8 vs 4 Core Performance | Tom's Hardware (Remember, two of the skulltrail numbers are overclocked, while none of the others are.)