Hi all
Sorry guys, I know a lot has already been said on this article, but I can't stand this kind of tests. It (so conveniently) backs up Intel's marketing arguments whithout any clear objectivity, and most of all, ends with a biased purchase advice !!
Facts :
1- you test last generation of processors for one brand and not the other (why not Opteron 2000 family ?)
2- consequence of point 1, one system runs last generation of RAM chips and not the other
3- you don't test both systems with an OS that we're sure not to be Intel optimised
4- you test so-called server machines with apps I've never seen running on any server in any company that I've worked for in 10 years. Did you intend to bench geek machines ?
5- you test with Intel's own compilers ................ no comment !!!
6- you make a test with a software you recognise as BEING Intel optimised : again, useless for comparison between Opteron and Xeon (which is the goal of the article !!)
7- The power consumption test is totally unclear. What do you measure exactly : procs only, procs+chipset, procs+chipset+RAM, system's total ?
8- Why do you try to apologize for Intel's FB-DIMM high power consumption ? It's the technology Intel have chosen, period !!
Considering those points, my conclusion is that this benchmark is incomplete and partial !!
"
Intel has retaken the throne from AMD in the server/workstation sector and sent AMD back to the drawing board." .... man, what a conclusion !!!!
I know it's hard for all Intel fans to admit it, but their favorite company had never considered AMD as a real threat in the server segment and sat on her laurels for many years. Actually, I think Intel has great engineers but they waste their talent !!
Once again, they've managed to gain back the first position in the desktop processors' race. It's just the race that's talked about most, but it's not the most important to be won !!
As far as I know, for the Core design, Intel has enhanced the processor architecture, the efficiency of internal caches and pipelines, of predictive algorithms, ...
But how long do you think one can keep an old design at the top by "patching it" or spending $ billions to get the latest micro-electronics state-of-the-art technologies ?
What happens when the competitors get them too ?
Woodcrest 80% more powerful than Dempsey ?
OK, so here are some simple maths :
Woodcrest_Proc_data_processing x N processors -->
Woodcrest_NB-FSB_data_processing = Dempsey_NB-FSB_data_processing x 1.8 x N x A
"A" being a multiplying factor taking into account the increasing switching time lost by the NB, managing multiple data clients (procs), as their number and individual data processing capabilities increase.
I really don't think one can keep raising indefinitely the factors of such an equation !!
My point is that they'd do better focusing on building something really new, like the Itanium platform was meant to be !!
Peace
