Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 06:37:16 -0600 From: Laurence Sanford <lauasanf@wilderness.dyn.dhs.org> To: Tom Parquette <Tom_Parquette@myrealbox.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Multiprocessor boards benefit a workstation? Message-ID: <20011220063716.61db17d2.lauasanf@wilderness.dyn.dhs.org> In-Reply-To: <1008834290.651b0ff2Tom_Parquette@myrealbox.com> References: <1008834290.651b0ff2Tom_Parquette@myrealbox.com>
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Comments inline: On Thu, 20 Dec 2001 02:44:50 -0500 Tom Parquette <Tom_Parquette@myrealbox.com> wrote: > I'm selecting components for a workstation machine and I would like some input. > > I'm planning to use an AMD processor (Athlon or Duron) and a Tyan motherboard. I have had good luck with my Athlon and Tyan board in my curent machine. Don't get me wrong at any point in the information that follows. Tyan makes a great board, and I would unflinchingly repurchase all of the tyan boards I currently have. > > Question #1: Does an SMP configuration benefit a workstation machine's performance enough to justify the costs? e.g. two of the Athlon MP chips in a Tyan multi processor board. This depends on what you're doing. If you frequently do anything that's cpu intensive (ie you end up waiting for you computer), and whatever you're doing can take advantage of both cpu's, yes. In the case of something like building software, using make -jn on a dual cpu system can be almost twice as fast as on a single cpu system. > > Question #2:I remember seeing a couple of items asking about experiences with the Athlon in an SMP configuration. The Questions mailing list archive does not seem to be available so I cannot search it. What are the experiences with the Athlon MP systems? I recently built my wife a new computer on the tyan S2460 with dual 1500+ MP's (1333 MHz). Before I go any further, I'm going to make you think twice about this particular board. It appears to have issues with certain hardware - specifically netgear FA311's. Other than that I haven't had a single problem with it. I would still encourage you to ask around, look around, and research the several other smp boards available. If you end up coming back to the tyan because you *know* the quality of the board, more power to you. Other than that, I haven't had a problem with the system. It's so fast that it hurts to use it - her system makes netscape 6 feel light weight and nimble. The bottom line is, when you add up the cost of all the components, does it look like it will be worth the money? I am a fan of SMP systems myself. In fact, I used a dual P233MMX as my primary system until a little over a year ago, when I built myself a single duron 800. My point is, if you build an upgradeable SMP system, its life expectancy (before it starts to feel sluggish) is probably more than twice what a single cpu system is. In the long run, the cost evens out. > > TIA for any insights. > Cheers... > Try not. Do or do not. There is no try. -- Yoda -- Cotharyus lauasanf@bellsouth.net ICQ: 8690555 I've known him as a man, as an adolescent and as a child -- sometimes on the same day. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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