DTK APRI-32

Speed and reliability with two processors

Are you looking for a fast, reliable system that's on Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)? Look at the DTK APRI-32, which comes with dual Pentium Pro processors at a reasonable price.

When I first heard about systems with dual or even quad processors, Ithought that they would make killer workstations. I dreamed of being able to popextra processors into my workstation. Need more speed? Just pop in anotherprocessor and--bam! A faster system. I tested this theory on the DTK APRI-32.

DTK Computer has been in business since 1981 and has produced computerssince 1988. Many DTK systems have someone else's label affixed to the front ofthe system because Value Added Resellers (VARs) buy these systems and put theirlabel on them.

DTK is Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) approved, and its systems are FCCcertified. The company backs its systems with a two-year warranty that includesparts and labor and lifetime technical support. Onsite service is available fora minimal fee.

The DTK APRI-32 system is available in either desktop or middle-towerconfigurations and can be configured with up to 384MB of Enhanced Data Output(EDO) memory. You can install up to four PCI and three ISA expansion slots. TheAdaptec SCSI (AIC-7880P), two IDE controllers, and floppy controller areembedded, so you don't have to waste slots for these controllers and you canpurchase any storage device that you want without buying separate controllers.

The system I tested was armed with dual 200MHz Pentium Pro processors,132MB of EDO RAM, a Seagate Cheetah 2.1GB Wide SCSI hard disk, an 8X SCSI CD-ROMdrive, and a loaded Diamond Stealth 3D 3000 video card, all in a middle-towercase. The system also came with a 17" Energy Star monitor, a Microsoftmouse, and a Microsoft natural keyboard. Only a sound card and speakers werelacking.

We have been using the APRI-32 in our Lab for reviewing products such asDatametrics Systems' ViewPoint, testing tape backup software, and performingother tasks. It has been a rock-solid system. I have had problems with the powerswitch not working, but this problem has to do with getting the front cover backon properly, nothing more. Other than that problem, this system has been veryuseful.

We benchmarked the APRI-32 with the BAPCo SYSmark for Windows NT 4.0(http://www.bapco.com). This package runs scripts over several popularapplications and tracks how long each script takes to run. BAPCo SYSmark thencompares the times to a baseline system and generates a number based on thedifferences. Table 1 lists the applications that BAPCo uses.

You would think that two processors would get you twice the performance,right? Well that's not the case; someone has to write the software to takeadvantage of multiple processors, and right now most software isn't designed forthis configuration. Figure 1shows processing times (in seconds) for the DTK andour baseline system. (The baseline system uses an Intel motherboard, a 200MhzPentium Pro processor, 32MB of RAM, an Adaptec 2940UW SCSI controller, two 2.1GBQuantum hard disks, an 8X CD-ROM, a Creative Labs AWE32 sound card, and a 4MBMatrox Millennium Video card.)

The DTK system did well against our baseline system, but none of theapplications that BAPCo uses are optimized for a multiprocessor environment. Ididn't get twice the performance with the dual processor, but I saw animprovement.

You can see some performance gains with these software packages becauseWindows NT can run OS services on one processor while your application runs onthe other processor. I have seen almost a two-fold increase in speed when I'vesimultaneously run multiple applications (something I do all the time) or runapplications such as Adobe Photoshop, which takes advantage of multiple CPUs. Ifyou are in the market for something faster than the available Pentium Pro 200MHzsystems and want to run multiple CPU-intensive applications or applications thatcan take advantage of multiple processors, this system is worthwhile.