We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Hardware

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Dual Processor Motherboard?

M. McGee
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 10,265
Share

A dual processor motherboard is a computer motherboard that has space for two complete and separate processor chips. These chips are then connected together on-board using a number of different methods, although a specialized processor bus system is most common. In theory, these machines have the potential to operate at speeds far beyond a normal computer, as the individual processors provide a near doubling in power. While dual processor motherboards have always been uncommon, with the advent of multicore processors, they are even harder to find.

Generally, a dual processor motherboard requires two of the same processors. They need to be exactly the same, or the imbalance causes the computer to become unstable and shut down. While this is the case nearly every time, there have been boards that could take slightly different processors, but these were exceptionally rare.

This style of motherboard was common among high-end desktop and low-end server systems. In most cases, only high-end desktop systems could accept the hardware and software required to utilize the power of the second processor. On the server side, mid- to high-range servers often switched away from the standard motherboard route into other types of systems like rackmount or blade systems.

The physical design of a dual processor motherboard often varies from a standard motherboard. The second processor changes the basic layout of the system, typically by displacing the memory. This pushes the memory down the board, often displacing the chipset towards the expansion slots. As a result of these alterations, a dual processor motherboard will typically have less expansion slots than a similar-sized motherboard.

While a dual processor motherboard seems like it would make a system twice as fast as a standard computer, this is not the case. Limitations on the processor’s access to the system bus and memory will often require one processor to wait while the other is active. In addition, until recently, few programs were written to take advantage of a multiprocessor system. Most programs will access the main processor and never send anything to the second; it was often limited to operating system processes on all but the most powerful of programs.

With the advent of multicore processors, many of the drawbacks to a dual processor motherboard have gone away. The process of allocating system resources has been changed to allow more even access, and there are more programs that will use a second processor. In fact, many programs are now written to use multiple processors at the same time.

For all this innovation, the dual processor motherboard is still an oddity. Since multicore processors can do the same thing as a dual system without many of the technical problems, they took over the market. Finally, when the common multicore exceeded two processor cores, it surpassed the power of a basic dual processor system.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
M. McGee
By M. McGee
Mark McGee is a skilled writer and communicator who excels in crafting content that resonates with diverse audiences. With a background in communication-related fields, he brings strong organizational and interpersonal skills to his writing, ensuring that his work is both informative and engaging.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
M. McGee
M. McGee
Mark McGee is a skilled writer and communicator who excels in crafting content that resonates with diverse audiences....
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-dual-processor-motherboard.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.