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ecujsin
n00b
Joined: 12 Feb 2005
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 2:40 am Post subject: More gentoo friendly: Intel Extreme or AMD 64 FX 55? |
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The fruits of my new full time job... I FINALLY HAVE MONEY!!! So the first thing I'm deciding to do with it is drop it on a new system. I'm looking at one of two alienware systems. Either the Aurora 7500, which has an AMD 64 FX 55 processor and dual NVIDIA 6800 GT with SLI. The other option is the Area 51 5500, which has the Intel Pentium 4 Extreme and ATI X850 XT Platinum Edition PCI Express.
One of my decisions is based on which will play nicer with Gentoo. Currently my only experience with Gentoo is on my Gateway 600 XL laptop, which I am real happy with after I got over the initial steep learning curve. I'm writing this post mostly becuase 64 bit processing is a brave new world for me. I already see the 64 bit support for the AMD as this is not as new as 64 bit to Intel. Will Gentoo support 64 bit processing with the Intel Extreme chip?
In terms of the graphics cards is SLI something that is at all compatible? Are there benefits in terms of ease of use and compatibility between the ATI and NVIDIA setups?
I wasn't really sure whether this should be a post in this section or the Kernel & Hardware section as these initial questions will lead to installation related questions. Sorry if this was posted in the wrong place, but I do know that Gentoo forums have been the one stop shop for all I need to know about the joys of Gentoo Linux. |
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overkll
Veteran
Joined: 21 Sep 2004
Posts: 1249
Location: Austin, Texas
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 4:31 am Post subject: |
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If you are only looking at those two boxes, I'd opt for the AMD.
Run cooler
Consumes less power
More mature
Upgrade path - dual cores! in the same socket.
NVIDIA! ATI's don't play nice with linux 64bit. Do a search on these forums or google about ATI 64 bit drivers.
It seems like overkill with the FX-55 and PCI-Express, but that's me. I've heard PCI Express graphics hasn't lived up to expectations. You could save alot of dough going mid to high end Athlon64 (939pin), and AGP. It'll still haul ass. Wait till you compile something. You won't believe how fast it is.
There is a forum dedicated to AMD64 "Gentoo on AMD64". There isn't one for Intel 64. |
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ecujsin
n00b
Joined: 12 Feb 2005
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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In response to upgrade path the Intel chip is already dual core. I just have yet to hear much about the 64 bit end of it.
Has anyone heard much about the AMD X2 processors. I know they've been publicly announced, just haven't heard much as to when they will start to be seen in numbers. |
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Maedhros
Bodhisattva
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 5511
Location: Durham, UK
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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Moved from Installing Gentoo to Gentoo on AMD64.
There's a discussion here about whether an Athlon64 FX is actually worth getting over an Athlon64 that you might be interested in. |
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ecujsin
n00b
Joined: 12 Feb 2005
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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| sorry about that... i had a feeling it was at the wrong place in this time of the conversation, just figured in the progression of the thread i'd have an install question or two |
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crazycat
l33t
Joined: 26 Aug 2003
Posts: 838
Location: Hamburg, Germany
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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I think Aurora is the way to go cause:
- fx55 will have even bigger perfomance advantage in 64 bit mode than pentium extreme
- dual-core upgradebility
- ati is not really a option with it's driver situation. |
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scharkalvin
Guru
Joined: 31 Jan 2004
Posts: 331
Location: south florida
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | in response to upgrade path the Intel chip is already dual core. I just have yet to hear much about the 64 bit end of it.
Has anyone heard much about the AMD X2 processors. I know they've been publicly announced, just haven't heard much as to when they will start to be seen in numbers. |
From what I've read the Intel dual core cpus SUCK. In testing the AMD dual core wiped Intel's
ass. Also the Intel cpus are great toasters or room warmers. |
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Vishruth
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 25 Oct 2002
Posts: 138
Location: India
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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| ecujsin wrote: | In response to upgrade path the Intel chip is already dual core. I just have yet to hear much about the 64 bit end of it.
Has anyone heard much about the AMD X2 processors. I know they've been publicly announced, just haven't heard much as to when they will start to be seen in numbers. |
AMD X2s should be available by mid-June. MonarchComputer already has the X2 processors for pre-ordering. According to Monarch, these processors will start shipping by the 16th of this month. Monarch is an official launch partner with AMD and is a very reliable source.
AMD X2 processors easily trounce the present Intel Dual-Core line-up. In most cases the cheapest AMD X2 processor, which is the X2 4200+ (costs 579 USD on Monarch at present), easily performs better than Intel's flagship dual core processor, the XE 840.
I suggest you check out some reviews of the AMD A64 X2 and Intel XE 840 processors before you decide to buy a processor from either of the companies. Google will spew out quite a lot of reviews if you try searching for some.
What really bothers me about Intel's dual-core processors is their power-consumption. Check out these chats from The Tech Report and PC Perspective:
http://img157.echo.cx/img157/2948/powerload0ln.gif
http://img80.echo.cx/img80/1286/power4zc.gif
(OT: why aren't the [img] tags working?)
AMD X2 processors are clearly superior to Intel's DC processors at the moment. If you want to spend around a thousand USD on a processor, I suggest you go with AMD's X2 processor. The X2 4800+ and the X2 4400+ are listed at $999 and $619 (respectively) on Monarch. The X2 4800+ is only 200 MHz faster than the X2 4400+ and yet it costs about $400 more than the X2 4400+. $400 for a mere 200MHz advantage is not worth it, imo. X2 4400+ is the best DC processor you can get about now.
If you insist on going with the FX-55, however, I suggest you go with a 90nm San Diego core (currently available at Newegg) as opposed to a 130nm ClawHammer core. San Diego cores have an improved memory controller, runs cooler, and consumes a lot less power than ClawHammer cores.
And as for video cards, I think you'll be wasting your good hard earned money if you buy 2x6800GTs now. The next generation GPUs of Nvidia - 7800, or otherwise known as G70, are just around the corner. A respectable retailer is suggesting availability of these cards within a month, which is very well possible.
In any case, if you wait a month or so, all the turbidity revolving around Intel's and AMD's dual-core processors and Nvidia's new generation of graphics cards will clear. I suggest you wait a month before you buy a new processor/GPU. In haste, I've wasted a lot of money on computer hardware in the past. I hope you won't make the same mistake.
Last edited by Vishruth on Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:31 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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overkll
Veteran
Joined: 21 Sep 2004
Posts: 1249
Location: Austin, Texas
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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Couple of more points:
- AMD64 was designed with multicore in mind from the beginning.
- Hypertransport/on-chip memory controler - no Inhell equivelant (oops, I mean Intel) |
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Gentoo on AMD64
