On Tue, 2007-01-30 at 23:03 +0000, David Fletcher wrote:
On Sunday 28 January 2007 22:07, Jonathan Berry wrote:
On 1/28/07, Mick Mearns off_by_1@yahoo.com wrote:
Hi list; this is off topic.
I was wondering which is better a dual-core x86 cpu or an x64 cpu? Which is actually faster/better in "normal" use? How about installation problems and hardware cost?
I am not planning any upgrades just yet but am curios.
Why not get a dual-core x86_64 CPU? All the AMD dual-core chips are 64-bit and Intel's Core 2 Duo is 64-bit. Personally, I like AMD better. There is really no reason to get a 32-bit only CPU anymore. If you don't want to run 64-bit yet, you can still run 32-bit just fine. And a 64-bit installation gives you the choice to run both.
Jonathan
If the List doesn't mind me staying off topic (it's closer to topic than servicing a Chevy pickup gearbox I think ;-) ):- Next time I build a new computer I'd like to be sure that I can run a Xen kernel with full virtualisation. Then when I occasionally need to poke a little finger into the Dark Side I can do so without having to shut down and reboot, and keep the damned thing backed up so I don't ever need to do a fresh install again.
As I Understand It, if I go for an AMD chip I need to be sure to buy one that incorporates technology called Pacifica. Only thing that's troubling me about this is, I can't find any mention of Pacifica in connection with AMD chips in the component shops.
Also, I believe I can't do it on this P4 computer because it can only do what is called paravirtualisation, requiring hooks to be added to the guest OS. Which is probably why I could run the 98SE installation CD OK when I played with it but it wouldn't boot.
So, List, is the little bit I think I know about virtualisation correct?
Are there chips available now that have Pacifica (such as the AMD Opterons) or are they not out yet?
Yes, they're out. The "official" name for Pacifica is "AMD-V". The Athlon64/X2 series has AMD-V, as does the Opteron 1xxx,2xxx and 4xxx series (e.g. Opteron 1210).
If you "cat /proc/cpuinfo", look at the flags string. AMD chips with AMD-V will have the "svm" flag. Intel chips will have the "vmx" flag.
I have an AMD Athlon64/X2 and an Opteron 1210. Here's the procinfo for each. First, the Athlon64/X2:
[root@labrat1 ~]# cat /proc/cpuinfo processor : 0 vendor_id : AuthenticAMD cpu family : 15 model : 75 model name : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ stepping : 2 cpu MHz : 2405.042 cache size : 512 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 1 core id : 0 cpu cores : 1 fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 1 wp : yes flags : fpu tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt rdtscp lm 3dnowext 3dnow pni cx16 lahf_lm cmp_legacy svm cr8_legacy bogomips : 6014.10 TLB size : 1024 4K pages clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 40 bits physical, 48 bits virtual power management: ts fid vid ttp tm stc
And now the Opteron 1210:
[root@bigdog ~]# cat /proc/cpuinfo processor : 0 vendor_id : AuthenticAMD cpu family : 15 model : 67 model name : Dual-Core AMD Opteron(tm) Processor 1210 stepping : 2 cpu MHz : 1808.283 cache size : 1024 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 1 core id : 0 cpu cores : 1 fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 1 wp : yes flags : fpu tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt rdtscp lm 3dnowext 3dnow pni cx16 lahf_lm cmp_legacy svm cr8_legacy bogomips : 4521.67 TLB size : 1024 4K pages clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 40 bits physical, 48 bits virtual power management: ts fid vid ttp tm stc
Note the "svm" flags on both machines. Both chips are AM2 sockets and they're both dual-core. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer rstevens@vitalstream.com - - VitalStream, Inc. http://www.vitalstream.com - - - - The gene pool could use a little chlorine. - ----------------------------------------------------------------------