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Subject: Re: OT: P4- 3 GHz with hyper-threading

Author: Eugene Nalimov

Date: 14:26:39 11/01/02

Go up one level in this thread


Vincent,

I am explaining it to you the 3rd time: I can run tests on those systems, but I
have no physical access to them, so I cannot turn something in BIOS on or off.
That's why I compared results of 2.4GHz system with hyperthreading on and 2.8Hz
one with hyperthreading off -- to show that results are the same if you'll take
into account the speed difference.

Net result: you can look at the numbers I posted, and you will definitely see
that hyperthreading gives current Crafty, without any hyperthread-related
modifications, double-digit improvement.

Thanks,
Eugene

On November 01, 2002 at 17:07:10, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:

>On November 01, 2002 at 14:55:50, Eugene Nalimov wrote:
>
>So you have a P4 2.8 then to your avail.
>
>Can you post the results of that P4 2.8 single cpu for the next 4
>results:
>
>first:
> P4 2.8 SMT in bios off and
>   a) MT 1
>   b) MT 2
>
>secondly:
> P4 2.8 SMT in bios on and
>   a) MT 1
>   b) MT 2
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Vincent
>
>>Once again: the system I run that test on is located in other building. I don't
>>want to bother the friend with rebooting/changing settings/etc. I run the test
>>on a 2.8Hz P4 with hyperthreading turned off, and got 50 seconds at 1,113knps.
>>50*(2.8/2.4) == 58, so 57 seconds looks about right. (I think it is slightly
>>slower than estimate because memory on 2.4GHz system is slower than on 2.8GHz
>>one).
>>
>>I run the same executable on AMD/2000. It tooks 56 seconds at 994knps to run the
>>test, so 57 seconds at 976knps again looks right.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Eugene
>>
>>On November 01, 2002 at 14:35:21, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>
>>>On November 01, 2002 at 13:58:06, Eugene Nalimov wrote:
>>>
>>>>I cannot produce the test you are demanding, as I don't have physical access to
>>>>the system on which I run the test, but here are my results.
>>>>
>>>>Dual P4/2.4GHz, hyperthreating turned on, Windows XP Professional.
>>>>Unmodified Crafty 19.0 (i.e. with "bad" spinlock loop).
>>>>"Bench" results (executable restarted after each test).
>>>
>>>also do the tests with SMT disabled in bios,
>>>it should produce the same results as in MT 1 and MT 2.
>>>If not then something different is wrong. In MT 4 it should
>>>produce something real bad there.
>>>
>>>Amazing that with 976 MT 1 you need only 57 seconds to finish the
>>>test. Single cpu AMD i need (but of course a bit older crafty version):
>>>
>>>White(1): hash 400MB
>>>hash table memory = 384M bytes.
>>>White(1): hashp 16MB
>>>pawn hash table memory = 10M bytes.
>>>White(1): bench
>>>Running benchmark. . .
>>>......
>>>Total nodes: 92683962
>>>Raw nodes per second: 827535
>>>Total elapsed time: 112
>>>SMP time-to-ply measurement: 5.714286
>>>White(1): quit
>>>execution complete.
>>>
>>>Or in short 112 seconds (visual c++ 6.0 sp4 proc pack default compile)
>>>and 827 K nps.
>>>
>>>You need millions of nodes less?
>>>
>>>>mt=1:   976knps, 57 seconds
>>>>mt=2: 1,705knps, 38 seconds
>>>>mt=4: 2,006knps, 35 seconds
>>>>
>>>>I.e. there is not only ~17% raw nps speedup, but *absolute time* is also ~8%
>>>>smaller.
>>>>
>>>>And that is for the executable that is non-hyperthread aware, i.e. contains bad
>>>>spinlock loop.
>>>>
>>>>I tested exactly the executable that is on Bob's FTP site. You can download it
>>>>yourself.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks,
>>>>Eugene
>>>>
>>>>On November 01, 2002 at 13:06:53, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On November 01, 2002 at 12:20:14, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>Feel free to ship a version of crafty that doesn't do spinlock
>>>>>or whatever you want to modify. I'll extensively test it for you
>>>>>at all P4s i can get my hands on...
>>>>>
>>>>>I would be really amazed if you get even 0.1% faster in nodes a
>>>>>second...
>>>>>
>>>>>...of course it must be a fair compare in contradiction to what
>>>>>intel shows. They do next comparision
>>>>>
>>>>>  a) some feature called 'SMT' in the bios turned on
>>>>>     - just running 2 threads then
>>>>>  b) turning it off
>>>>>     - also running 2 threads at it
>>>>>
>>>>>Like everyone who is not so naive we know that you also need
>>>>>to do next test:
>>>>>
>>>>>  a) some feature called 'SMT' in the bios turned on
>>>>>     - just running 1 thread eating all system time
>>>>>  b) turning it off
>>>>>     - also running 1 thread eating all system time
>>>>>
>>>>>There shouldn't be a speed difference between a and b of course.
>>>>>
>>>>>That verification step is missing.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>On November 01, 2002 at 11:56:56, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On November 01, 2002 at 10:41:25, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On October 31, 2002 at 10:53:07, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On October 30, 2002 at 06:59:21, Terje Vagle wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Hi all,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>The new cpu from intel will have a new function called
>>>>>>>>>>hyper-threading.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>This will make the operating system able to recognize the cpu as if it was
>>>>>>>>>>2 cpu's.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Could the programs with smp-support make use of this?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Regards,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Terje Vagle
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>No chessprograms cannot make use of that feature at all. It is sad but
>>>>>>>>>the truth. Hyperthreading is a cool thing for the future but the P4
>>>>>>>>>processor is a too small processor to allow hyperthreading from getting
>>>>>>>>>to work.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Apart from that a major problem is that even if we have a great processor
>>>>>>>>>which really allows hyperthreading to be effective, that the threads
>>>>>>>>>run at unequal speeds.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Hyper threading is supposed to work for 2 threads where 1 is a fast
>>>>>>>>>thread and the other is some kind of background thread eating little cpu
>>>>>>>>>time.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>In chessprograms having a second search thread which just runs now and
>>>>>>>>>then in the background is simply impossible to use.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>It is not impossible at all.  The only problem was spinlocks and Eugene
>>>>>>>>posted a link to an Intel document that describes how to solve this problem.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Given that solution, hyper-threading will work just fine since spinlocks
>>>>>>>>won't confuse the processor...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>It won't be 2x faster, but it will certainly be faster if you can run a second
>>>>>>>>thread while the first is blocked on a memory access...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>No it won't be 2 times faster. suppose you start crafty with 2 threads.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I didn't say it would be _two_ times faster.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I said it would be _faster_.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>And it will.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>thread A starts search and has 1.e4,e5
>>>>>>>thread B starts and continues with 1.d4
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>now when A is ready, B will still be busy with its own search space,
>>>>>>>and delay thread A time and again.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>that'll slow down incredible.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Except that isn't how it works.  The threads co-execute in an intermingled
>>>>>>way as one blocks for a memory read the other fills in the gap.  It is
>>>>>>something like having 1.5 cpus...  and it does work.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>You'll be a lot slower than searching with a single thread!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Not very likely...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Also note that there is just 8 KB data cache and just like
>>>>>>>40 registers to rename variables. then another 12KB tracecache.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>*both* threads are eating from that 8 KB and 12KB tracecache,
>>>>>>>that is an additional problem they 'overlook'.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>That is a problem on an SMP machine.  But _both_ threads are executing
>>>>>>the _same_ code anyway...  so that isn't a problem.  At least for me.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>For you it is different because you are not using "shared everything" in
>>>>>>lightweight threads, so your results might be different.  But all my threads
>>>>>>share the exact same executable instruction code...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>As you can see from graphs. Usually SMT brings zero speedup.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I have seen numbers around 1.3 up to 1.5...  which is not to be
>>>>>>ignored.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Try crafty on a 2.4Ghz single cpu P4 or P4-Xeon please (northwood) or
>>>>>>>above. Not on a slower P4 or P4-Xeon. Of course we go for the latest
>>>>>>>hardware...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Why does it matter?  Hyper-Threading is Hyper-Threading, unless you are
>>>>>>going to start that memory speed nonsense.  And, in fact, the faster the
>>>>>>processor vs memory speed, the better hyperthreading should perform.  Just
>>>>>>like the greater the difference in processor speed vs disk speed, the better
>>>>>>normal operating systems do at running multiple processes.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Just try it like i tried at Jan Louwman's 2.4Ghz P4s and 2.53Ghz P4s.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>That says it all.  "Like I tried it".  As if that is a comprehensive and
>>>>>>exhaustive testing?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I can't measure *any* speedup *anyhow*.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Why am I not surprised???
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Also theoreticlaly i see major problems for the P4 chip even if you
>>>>>>>have software which could theoretically profit.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>"theoretically".
>>>>>>
>>>>>>:)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>:)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>:)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Theory from someone that doesn't know theory.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>:)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>:)



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