[TriLUG] AMD vs. Intel

Josh Vickery josh at vickeryj.com
Mon Jul 31 10:29:19 EDT 2006


I've always been a fan of SMP workstations, so seeing low power
consumption SMP laptops has made me quite happy.  As of now, I think
the Core Duo and the upcoming Core 2 Duo mobile chips give Intel the
edge here, though AMD is certainly talking big on the subject.

Now, I'm not your typical computer user, my desire for SMP stems from
liking my system to be responsive while running an automated test suit
in the background, or deploying an application server.  However, Greg
Brown mentions that his neighbor is fed up with the Anti-Virus
software., and I think this points to a usage trend that I think makes
SMP more attractive to "normal" users.  Looking at a "normal" user's
windows task bar I see tons of little blinking and flashing icons, all
of which can add up to a very slow computer.  I have yet to experiment
with this, but I think that SMP boxes will help make "normal" systems
more responsive.

Josh

On 7/29/06, Reginald Reed <reginald.reed at gmail.com> wrote:
> Another key thing to point out is the fact that RAM is *dirt* cheap
> these days.  My new Core Duo 2.0GHz Macbook has 2Gb of RAM just
> because.  I don't need that much RAM, but for the $160 with no tax,
> why the hell not?
>
> http://www.outpost.com/product/4789099?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
>
> I *love* cheap RAM and having lots 'o RAM can make an otherwise anemic
> system come to life and fast system really fly.  RAM is good.  In most
> instances where I would need to make a decision, I'lll max out my RAM
> well before I consider a faster processor.
>
> --Reggie
>
> On 7/28/06, Kevin Flanagan <kevin at flanagannc.net> wrote:
> > That would have to fall in the "that depends" category.
> >
> >
> > What would you be doing with the system, for a laptop, I see that HP now
> > has a Turion 64Bit laptop, interesting if you could take advantage of
> > the processor.
> >
> > If you are using much CPU to Memory transfer intensive applications,
> > then AMD has the edge, otherwise I don't think that it matters as much.
> >
> > What about the other stuff, that says more in many cases.
> >
> > What disks are available, SATA, or PATA, or SCSI?
> > What Video subsystem suits your needs best?
> > How much RAM can you get for the system in question?
> >
> >
> > As usual, there's a lot more to the "best" answer, generally I think
> > that if you get a top tier system now it's likely enough for 95% or more
> > of folks, unless you're just that kind of geek who needs to spec out
> > every last detail.
> >
> > Then there's cost.....
> >
> >
> >
> > Kevin
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Greg Brown wrote:
> > > It was not long ago at all, just last year, that the prevailing
> > > opinion of
> > > those on Trilug seemed to be that AMD was leading the way for chip design
> > > for the foreseeable future.  With Intel's latest announcements, along
> > > with
> > > the Core Duo, I was wondering what the consensus opinion was these days.
> > >
> > > If you were going to build a linux desktop or laptop what processor would
> > > you pick?  Intel, AMD, or something else?
> > >
> > > 3.... 2..... 1..... FIGHT!!
> > --
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> >
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