Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips (More info?)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am planning on buying two computers in the near future, one
with the taxpayer's money and one on my own dime, for my research use.
The workstation that currently stands in my office looks like this:
2xAthlon MP 2000+ (1.67GHz); 2x1GB+2x512MB registered ECC DDR2100 DIMMs;
Tyan S2466 (760 MPX, integrated NIC, no working USB ports); Seagate 80GB
7200rpm HDD; Advansys UltraSCSI; 40x CD-ROM; Plextor 12x10x32x SCSI CD-RW;
VIA's USB 2.0 PCI card; NIC (Realtek 8139); NVidia GeoForce 2MX 64MB.
I run Linux and have been spoiled by dual-CPU machines -- I've
built a total of 9 dualies since 1996 when the linux 2.2 kernels came
out. Running linux or sometimes WinNT, they have served me (as well as
the friends who were gifted or bought the used machines) very well. I
run mainly Maple, some gcc-compiled binaries, and LaTeX. The programs
I run often end up having gigabytes-sized arrays, hence the RAM size.
When planning the upgrade, the most comprehensive advice I got
googling for "hardware-buying advice" was the following list:
Dan J. Bernstein's recommended "standard workstation"
$240 2xAthlon MP 2400+ (Thoroughbred 2.0GHz)
$92 Western Digital Caviar 120GB "Special Edition" 8MB buffer 7200rpm
$189 Gigabyte GA-7DPXDW-P (760 MPX for Athlon MP, integrated NIC)
$120 Kingston 512MB ECC DDR2100 DIMM
[a bunch of other stuff including Antec case and a 450W power]
That's $641 (NewEgg prices); a nice case + power plus assorted odds and
ends raises the entire pricelist up to around $870; I can reuse my other
peripherals: I swear by IBM's trackpoint Mechanical M13 keyboard and its
other trackpoint items, and two screens at each work location. If I am
going to fill the machine to 3 GB, that will set me back a further $800
for $1600 for the entire machine.
If I buy instead a pair of Opteron 240's for $200 each and Tyan's S2885
(Thunder K8W) for $450 each, that will set me back a further $400+, for
about $2000 for the whole machine. Opteron 246's are a hefty $650 each
so that will cost me about $3100 for this entire workstation.
Is this a good buy for my office machine?
Are Opteron 240's better or worse for my purposes than Athlon MP 2800's?
2600's? Would Xeon's be any good at all? How about my home machine? I
want it to have significant computing power although I may not need that
much memory at home ... Thanks in advance for any advice ...
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am planning on buying two computers in the near future, one
with the taxpayer's money and one on my own dime, for my research use.
The workstation that currently stands in my office looks like this:
2xAthlon MP 2000+ (1.67GHz); 2x1GB+2x512MB registered ECC DDR2100 DIMMs;
Tyan S2466 (760 MPX, integrated NIC, no working USB ports); Seagate 80GB
7200rpm HDD; Advansys UltraSCSI; 40x CD-ROM; Plextor 12x10x32x SCSI CD-RW;
VIA's USB 2.0 PCI card; NIC (Realtek 8139); NVidia GeoForce 2MX 64MB.
I run Linux and have been spoiled by dual-CPU machines -- I've
built a total of 9 dualies since 1996 when the linux 2.2 kernels came
out. Running linux or sometimes WinNT, they have served me (as well as
the friends who were gifted or bought the used machines) very well. I
run mainly Maple, some gcc-compiled binaries, and LaTeX. The programs
I run often end up having gigabytes-sized arrays, hence the RAM size.
When planning the upgrade, the most comprehensive advice I got
googling for "hardware-buying advice" was the following list:
Dan J. Bernstein's recommended "standard workstation"
$240 2xAthlon MP 2400+ (Thoroughbred 2.0GHz)
$92 Western Digital Caviar 120GB "Special Edition" 8MB buffer 7200rpm
$189 Gigabyte GA-7DPXDW-P (760 MPX for Athlon MP, integrated NIC)
$120 Kingston 512MB ECC DDR2100 DIMM
[a bunch of other stuff including Antec case and a 450W power]
That's $641 (NewEgg prices); a nice case + power plus assorted odds and
ends raises the entire pricelist up to around $870; I can reuse my other
peripherals: I swear by IBM's trackpoint Mechanical M13 keyboard and its
other trackpoint items, and two screens at each work location. If I am
going to fill the machine to 3 GB, that will set me back a further $800
for $1600 for the entire machine.
If I buy instead a pair of Opteron 240's for $200 each and Tyan's S2885
(Thunder K8W) for $450 each, that will set me back a further $400+, for
about $2000 for the whole machine. Opteron 246's are a hefty $650 each
so that will cost me about $3100 for this entire workstation.
Is this a good buy for my office machine?
Are Opteron 240's better or worse for my purposes than Athlon MP 2800's?
2600's? Would Xeon's be any good at all? How about my home machine? I
want it to have significant computing power although I may not need that
much memory at home ... Thanks in advance for any advice ...
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