dualsocket

Dualsocket refers to a computing hardware configuration in which a single motherboard or server chassis provides two physical CPU sockets, allowing the system to run with two central processing units (CPUs) concurrently. This setup is designed to increase computational throughput, memory capacity, and input/output bandwidth beyond what a single-socket system can provide. Dual-socket systems are most common in servers and high-end workstations.

In a dual-socket platform, the two CPUs are connected by a high-speed interconnect such as Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) or AMD’s Infinity Fabric, enabling cache coherence and fast data exchange. Each CPU typically controls its own set of memory channels, so total memory capacity scales with the number of CPUs while memory access follows a non-uniform pattern (NUMA). The motherboard also often provides expanded PCI Express lanes to support multiple GPUs, accelerators, or fast storage. Compatibility considerations include CPU family, memory type and speed, and platform-specific features like ECC protection, hot-swappable Power and cooling designs, and vendor-specific management tools.

Typical use cases for dual-socket systems include virtualization, large databases, high-performance computing, and other workloads that benefit from parallel processing and large memory footprints. Software must be capable of multi-processor operation, and licensing may reflect multi-CPU configurations. While dual-socket systems offer substantial performance for certain tasks, they come with higher power, cooling, and cost requirements, and may require careful workload tuning to maximize efficiency.

In summary, dualsocket describes a two-CPU computing platform that provides enhanced performance and capacity for enterprise workloads, balanced against greater complexity and cost.