winXPhome on MAC PRO

[nilsemil]

Hi.

Will i be able to get all the juice out of the Mac Pro if i run winXP home, or
will cores be left unused?

Emil

[zarmanto]

A quick Google search seems to indicate that you're not the only person who has wondered about this -- and the answer appears to be yes: XP Home will correctly address both cores in a dual-core processor. Read the following linked article for more details: Does XP support multiple processor cores? (http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1189223,00.html)

[nilsemil]

ive now realised i need XP pro to run good on the mac pro.
but, will i even need XP64-bit or doesnt that even exist anymore?

[zarmanto]

You've lost me: The article I referenced draws exactly the opposite conclusion than you say you've reached. Would you care to elaborate on why you think you're going to need XP Pro?

As for buying a copy of Windows XP, (64-bit or otherwise for that matter) the official word from Microsoft is that XP is no longer available for retail sale -- but that doesn't mean it's impossible to find. You might try Pricewatch.com (http://www.pricewatch.com/software_oper_system/windows_xp_pro_x64.htm).

Edit: Oh yeah... you also asked if you'll actually need the 64-bit version: The 64-bit version might be nice to have, or it might be frustrating -- I can't really say for certain, because I'm running the 32-bit version myself. When I first started experimenting with XP on my Mac, Apple had not yet released a 64-bit version of their hardware drivers, so it was pretty much a no-brainer for me. These days, 64-bit drivers for external accessories would probably be your only potential breaking point.

IMHO: The 32-bit version performs just fine, though, so you don't technically need the 64-bit version.

[ludacrisvp]

The reason he will need to use XP Pro vs Home is this:
Windows XP Home supports multiple cores on 1 physical processor only.
Windows XP Pro supports multiple cores on up to 2 physical processors.

Therefore assuming he has the 8 core Mac Pro he will have only the use of the 4 cores in the one physical processor and the other will lie completely dormant.
Or if he is running a dual processor dual core then he will only be able to use 2 cores of the 4 that are in the system.

[zarmanto]

Doh! You're quite right... For some odd reason I was thinking that he had a MacBook Pro. Right-o, then... carrry on. :)