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Windows 11 PRO -- is limit still Max 2 physical CPU's ?
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Hi folks
Win 11 Enterprise / Pro for Workstations allows 4 Physical CPU's - (not cores or threads but actual physical CPU's).
Is the limit on W11 Pro still 2 physical CPU's.
OK this might be 95% good enough for domestic users but a few might have 4 physical CPU's - which would be good for running a whole slew of VM's etc on with passthru of native hardware to the VM's.
Cheers
jimbo
OS
Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
2 X Intel i7
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Guru
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The limit is still 2 CPUs. Professional Workstation Edition supports 4 physical CPUs.
OS
Win11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Kamrui Mini PC, Model CK10
CPU
Intel i5-12450H
Memory
32GB
Graphics Card(s)
No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
HP Envy 32
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1440
Hard Drives
1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
PSU
120W "Brick"
Keyboard
Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 3
Internet Speed
1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Operating System
Win11 Pro 23H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
CPU
Intel i7-1255U
Memory
16 GB
Graphics card(s)
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Sound Card
Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
Monitor(s) Displays
13.3-inch IPS Display
Screen Resolution
WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
Hard Drives
2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
PSU
USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
Mouse
Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
Keyboard
Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
Internet Speed
1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Other Info
WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
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I had no idea a PC could have more than one CPU. Learn something new everyday.
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What happens if you install Windows 11 Pro on a workstation with 4 physical CPUs? Only two working and others are ignored or it doesn't boot at all?
OS
Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314) main PC
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer Extensa 5630EZ
CPU
Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
Motherboard
Acer Extensa 5630
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
Sound Card
Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
Monitor(s) Displays
1
Screen Resolution
1280x800
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
Operating System
Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314)
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom-built PC
CPU
Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
Motherboard
Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
Memory
2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
Graphics card(s)
Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
Sound Card
Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
Monitor(s) Displays
Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
Screen Resolution
1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
Hard Drives
WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
PSU
Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
Case
SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
Cooling
Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
Mouse
Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
Keyboard
Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
Internet Speed
100Mbps
Browser
Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
Antivirus
Microsoft Windows Defender
Other Info
Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
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What happens if you install Windows 11 Pro on a workstation with 4 physical CPUs? Only two working and others are ignored or it doesn't boot at all?
you can install it, but it will only see and utilize 2 of them.
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Beelink SEI8
CPU
Intel Core i5-8279u
Motherboard
AZW SEI
Memory
32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Iris Plus 655
Sound Card
Intel SST
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus ProArt PA278QV
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
512GB NVMe
PSU
NA
Case
NA
Cooling
NA
Keyboard
NA
Mouse
NA
Internet Speed
500/50
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Defender
Other Info
Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
Operating System
Windows 10 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom
CPU
Ryzen 9 5900x
Motherboard
Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
Memory
64GB DDR4-3600
Graphics card(s)
EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
PSU
Seasonic Focus 850
Case
Fractal Meshify S2 in White
Cooling
Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
Mouse
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Keyboard
Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
Internet Speed
500/50
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Defender.
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Pro User
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I see. Not that an average Windows user ever has two or more physical CPUs on his system. I asked just out of curiosity. Thanks for replying.
OS
Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314) main PC
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer Extensa 5630EZ
CPU
Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
Motherboard
Acer Extensa 5630
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
Sound Card
Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
Monitor(s) Displays
1
Screen Resolution
1280x800
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
Operating System
Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314)
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom-built PC
CPU
Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
Motherboard
Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
Memory
2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
Graphics card(s)
Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
Sound Card
Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
Monitor(s) Displays
Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
Screen Resolution
1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
Hard Drives
WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
PSU
Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
Case
SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
Cooling
Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
Mouse
Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
Keyboard
Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
Internet Speed
100Mbps
Browser
Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
Antivirus
Microsoft Windows Defender
Other Info
Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
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I see. Not that an average Windows user ever has two or more physical CPUs on his system. I asked just out of curiosity. Thanks for replying.
It's no longer common place for home users because you have multiple cores in the CPUs these days, but years ago I used to run dual Pentium Pro CPU systems at home.
OS
Win11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Kamrui Mini PC, Model CK10
CPU
Intel i5-12450H
Memory
32GB
Graphics Card(s)
No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
HP Envy 32
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1440
Hard Drives
1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
PSU
120W "Brick"
Keyboard
Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 3
Internet Speed
1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Operating System
Win11 Pro 23H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
CPU
Intel i7-1255U
Memory
16 GB
Graphics card(s)
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Sound Card
Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
Monitor(s) Displays
13.3-inch IPS Display
Screen Resolution
WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
Hard Drives
2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
PSU
USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
Mouse
Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
Keyboard
Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
Internet Speed
1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Other Info
WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Well-known member
Pro User
VIP
I imagine it costed more than buying two single CPU systems. The motherboard for two CPUs must have been very expensive.
OS
Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314) main PC
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer Extensa 5630EZ
CPU
Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
Motherboard
Acer Extensa 5630
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
Sound Card
Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
Monitor(s) Displays
1
Screen Resolution
1280x800
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
Operating System
Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314)
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom-built PC
CPU
Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
Motherboard
Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
Memory
2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
Graphics card(s)
Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
Sound Card
Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
Monitor(s) Displays
Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
Screen Resolution
1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
Hard Drives
WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
PSU
Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
Case
SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
Cooling
Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
Mouse
Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
Keyboard
Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
Internet Speed
100Mbps
Browser
Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
Antivirus
Microsoft Windows Defender
Other Info
Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
Well-known member
Guru
VIP
I imagine it costed more than buying two single CPU systems. The motherboard for two CPUs must have been very expensive.
I wish I could recall prices, but yes, I was pushing the limits of where your typical home user was. At the time, I was specializing in Windows NT Clustering so I built some high-end machines with a bunch of SCSI disks shared between two systems so that I could perform clustering tests at home
OS
Win11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Kamrui Mini PC, Model CK10
CPU
Intel i5-12450H
Memory
32GB
Graphics Card(s)
No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
HP Envy 32
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1440
Hard Drives
1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
PSU
120W "Brick"
Keyboard
Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 3
Internet Speed
1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Operating System
Win11 Pro 23H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
CPU
Intel i7-1255U
Memory
16 GB
Graphics card(s)
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Sound Card
Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
Monitor(s) Displays
13.3-inch IPS Display
Screen Resolution
WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
Hard Drives
2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
PSU
USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
Mouse
Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
Keyboard
Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
Internet Speed
1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Other Info
WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Well-known member
Power User
VIP
I imagine it costed more than buying two single CPU systems. The motherboard for two CPUs must have been very expensive.
Back before multi-core CPUs it was common for professional workstations and servers to have more than one physical CPU. Back in 1997 I help set up Dell PowerEdge servers for a government contract. Each server had either 2 or 4 Slot One Xeon CPUs. I don't remember how expensive they were but Dell charged us about $1000 to replace a motherboard. We used rack mounted servers because that was the only way for us to get 4 physical CPUs. About 5 years later CPUs were fast enough we started using professional workstations with 2 Xeon CPUs.
BTW, we had one Dell rack mounted server with 8 physical Xeon Slot One CPUs. Someone told me it cost $100,000.
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2022)
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB RAM)
Memory
Crucial DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 32GB (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)
Sound Card
n/a
Monitor(s) Displays
15.6-inch
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 300Hz
Hard Drives
2 x Samsung 980 (1TB M.2 NVME SSD)
PSU
n/a
Mouse
Wireless Mouse M510
Internet Speed
2000Mbps/300Mbps
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Malwarebytes
Operating System
Windows 11 Pro 23H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom build
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Motherboard
ASUS PRIME X370-PRO
Memory
G.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4
Graphics card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3060-Ti, 8GB RAM)
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S23A300B (23-in LED)
Screen Resolution
1080p 60Hz
Hard Drives
2TB XPG SX8200 Pro (M2. PCIe SSD) || 2TB Intel 660P (M2. PCIe SSD) ||
PSU
Corsair RM750x (750 watts)
Case
Cooler Master MasterCase 5
Cooling
Corsair H60 AIO water cooler
Mouse
Logitech K350 (wireless)
Keyboard
Logitech M510 (wireless)
Internet Speed
2000 Mbps down / 300 Mbps up
Browser
Firefox, Edge, Chrome
Antivirus
Malwarebytes (Premium)
Other Info
ASUS Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT (SATA) || Western Digital Elements 12TB USB 3.0 external hard drive used with Acronis True Image backup software || HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 Printer/Scanner
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Pro User
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Thread Starter
Thanks everybody for replying. We all learn things every day no matter how old we are !!.
The problem with multi-cores vs physical CPU's is that pass thru for VM's isn't exactly the same.
Mind you if you have too many multi processors / CPU's then the overhead of the main host OS in managing them becomes significant - obviously you need other bits on a mobo such as multi-channel DDR RAM etc but you get the idea of what I'm looking at.
Cheers
and thanks for answering the query.
jimbo
OS
Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
2 X Intel i7
Well-known member
Pro User
VIP
Our ten year old computer is still powerful enough for almost anything except gaming of course and 4K video editing. So it would be foolish to replace it just to run Windows 11. We just bypass compatibility check and we are good to go.
Remember everyone replacing their GPU or the whole computer just to run Vista? Some months later it was revealed it wasn't necessary as Vista 32-bit could work with the Windows XP graphics drivers, aka XPDM mode. Don't do the same mistake again. Think twice before you replace your old PC.
OS
Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314) main PC
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer Extensa 5630EZ
CPU
Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
Motherboard
Acer Extensa 5630
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
Sound Card
Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
Monitor(s) Displays
1
Screen Resolution
1280x800
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
Operating System
Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314)
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom-built PC
CPU
Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
Motherboard
Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
Memory
2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
Graphics card(s)
Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
Sound Card
Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
Monitor(s) Displays
Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
Screen Resolution
1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
Hard Drives
WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
PSU
Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
Case
SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
Cooling
Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
Mouse
Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
Keyboard
Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
Internet Speed
100Mbps
Browser
Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
Antivirus
Microsoft Windows Defender
Other Info
Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4