Modern technologies have advanced far ahead now the buyer will not be surprised by a processor with six or eight cores. Not all parameters grow quantitatively: in the overwhelming majority of motherboards, as before, there is only one processor socket.
Nevertheless, there is still a Dual Socket Motherboard on the market. It is about them that will be discussed in this article.
Pros and cons of Dual Socket Motherboard
Pro of Dual Socket Motherboard
It is more powerful than a single socket: a card with two processors can process large data streams faster, and therefore such a card is suitable for installation in workstations and high-power PCs. You can also play on such systems but in your free time. They provide more PCIe bandwidth and memory. A PC with two processors has more processor cores.
It has more connectors: these motherboards have additional PCIe and RAM slots, which allows you to install more expansion cards and more RAM up to terabytes.
It is more reliable than a single socket: these boards are designed to withstand excessive loads, so its elements are more stable and protected.
Cons of Dual Socket Motherboard
– A PC with a two-socket board is more expensive: firstly, such boards are more technologically advanced and less frequent, which means they are more expensive. Secondly, such motherboards are purchased for two processors – this is double the cost compared to a standard PC. It is also important to take into account that not all processors support operation in pair mode – and as a rule, such processors are more expensive than conventional ones.
– PCs with a two-socket board require more power: accordingly, such a PC will need a higher power supply unit.
– PCs with a 2-socket board require more efficient cooling: PCs with a 2-socket board and two processors require powerful cooling for reliable operation. Insufficient cooling can damage the entire system, especially if the temperature is elevated during prolonged use and heavy loads.
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Best Dual Socket Motherboard Options
Among the two socket motherboards, you can choose from five models. All of them support DDR4 DIMMs.
Two models are made based on the LGA 2011v3 socket and the Intel C612 chipset:
Supermicro X10DAL-i, which supports 8 memory modules with a total capacity of up to 1024 gigabytes. Made in ATX form factor.
Asus Z10PE-D16 WS supports 16 memory modules with a total capacity of up to 1024 gigabytes. Made in EEB form factor.
Three more models work on the basis of the LGA 3647 socket Dual Socket Motherboard and the Intel C621 chipset:
Asus WS C621E SAGE in EEB form factor supporting 12 memory modules up to 768 gigabytes;
Tyan Tempest HX S7100 also in SSI EEB form factor with support for 12 memory modules up to 1536 gigabytes;
Supermicro X11DAi-N E-ATX with support for 16 memory modules up to 2048 gigabytes.
Do you need Dual Socket Motherboard for gaming?
It is perfectly possible to use two processors in your game assembly, but is such an assembly worth the investment? Not always.
The fact is that the installation of two processors radically increases the cost of a PC – you need to buy the two-socket board itself, two processors (sharpened for a two-socket board), more efficient cooling, and a more powerful power supply.
For this radical increase in cost, the gamer gets more processor cores. It is believed that the more cores, the better the processor shows in games. And this is partly true: the more cores, the more FPS the PC gives out in games (even with the same video card). But within certain limits. On the second ten cores, the difference will more resemble an error than a dependence.
However, the increase in FPS is not comparable to the increase in cost for modern AAA games, four processor cores are enough. More cores won’t be as noticeable in use. The difference between 6 and 12 cores can be around ten percent.
Check also Best B450 Motherboards For Gaming.
Do you need Dual Socket Motherboard for workloads?
All the advantages of a dual-processor motherboard are relevant for servers and advanced workstations. Here the potential of two processors is revealed better, because reliability, fault tolerance, high performance and processor speed are important for such systems.
choosing Dual Socket Motherboard?
– The number of slots for RAM. The more, the better.
– Socket. The range of processors available for installation will depend on it;
– The presence or absence of a video card. If the motherboard is used to build the server, the integrated video card is sufficient. But on boards for workstations there are no integrated video cards.
Read also Best Lga 1200 Motherboards.
What board form factors are there?
Dual-socket motherboards come in three different form factors:
– ATX – standard motherboard size:
– EATX (Extended ATX) – a larger board for servers and workstations. Its dimensions are 30.5 x 33.0 cm.
– SSI EEB (Server Standards Infrastructure Entry Electronics Bay) – this motherboard form factor is mainly used for building servers and has dimensions of 30.5 x 33.0 cm. The main connector for the power supply has 24 + 8 pins.
What are the features of dual-socket motherboard?
Two-socket cards are tailored for servers and workstations.
The difference is primarily in the support of operating systems. Desktop versions of operating systems are installed on a motherboard for a workstation as standard, while desktop operating systems, as a rule, do not support server boards.
It’s also important to consider disk support. SATA connectors on dual-socket motherboards are abundant in the standard configuration, but there may be a shortage with m.2 connectors.
The integrated video card will only be on server boards.
How to distinguish a workstation board from a server board?
The easiest way to distinguish a server board from a workstation board is by the connector with audio outputs. There are no sound cards on the server boards.
It is believed that two processors give good results in games due to a large number of cores. However, this video clearly shows how increasing the number of cores improves performance -FPS increases, but not in proportion to the cost of a PC with two multi-core processors.
