[Fwd: Re: [ale] motherboard recommendations?]

[Andy]

Message-ID: <31E47C3E.7F87 at atlcom.net>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 23:59:58 -0400
 From: Andy <dread at atlcom.net>
Reply-To: dread at atlcom.net
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To: Tucker Balch <balch at robotics.jpl.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: [ale] motherboard recommendations?
References: <199607110238.TAA19244 at robotics.jpl.nasa.gov>
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Tucker Balch wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> We're going to upgrade our Linux box from a 486DX-50 to a Pentium.
> Motherboard lingo has changed a lot since I last bought one, I
> was hoping some of you could help me out.  THanks in advance!
> So here are the questions:
> 
>         Prices seem to depend heavily on the chipset in use, for
>         instance, an otherwise identical motherboard costs $70
>         more with the Triton II chipset vs the Triton chipset.
>         What's the difference and is it worth it?

This I belive is called price gouging and unfortunately
all motherboard manufacturers do it.  Intel claims each new
generation chipset is sold cheaper to the manufacturers.
(Triton cheaper than Neptune, Triton-2 cheaper than Triton etc.)
In the case of the Triton-2(430-HX) Manufacturers claim they 
must invest more money for X-Ray machines needed to 
line-up the new chip packaging correctly.
   The difference is Significantly more speed. due to the 
following new features..
Peer-to-Peer PCI, Concurrent PCI, Turbo read pipelining, 
True IDE Bus-Matering, 
   More new features include..
SMP(Simmetric Multiprocessing) 
USB(Universeral Serial Bus)which will replace com/lpt/monitor/etc
and a few more.

   Another version of the Triton-2(430-VX) supports SDRAM/DIMMS
		I believe Triton-2(430-HX) supports ECC Memory

   

> 
>         We can get a dual-pentium board based on the Triton II
>         for only $40 more than the similar single-pentium version
>         (not counting the price of the CPUs).  Will the dual board
>         with one CPU run as fast as a single-CPU board?  I'm
>         looking specifically at the Tyan Tomcat I ($239) and
>         the Tomcat II ($270).

No difference in performance with one CPU.  But for only $40 more 
I would go with the dual bord with one CPU to start.  Then stick
another later.

> 
>         Are Tyan boards any good?

Tyan boards are very good, fast, and relaible but among these 
elite higher performance boards Super Micro is faster.
I have had much better luck with Tyan than Intel boards and they
benchmark faster than Intel with the same setup.
> 
>         What's the deal with the Cyrix vs Intel CPU speeds? e.g.
>         the ads imply that the Cyrix 100 == Intel 120. Why didn't
>         Cyrix number theirs the same?
> 
> --Tucker

The Cyrix 6x86 is way faster than the Pentium at the same clock speed.
CX120Mhz(P150+) runs a little faster than Pentum 150Mhz, 
CX133Mhz(P166+) >Pentium166Mhz 
CX150Mhz(p200+) >Pentium200Mhz
etc 
but it is priced according to its performance not the clock speed, hence
the Pentium166Mhz currently costs $439 while the CX133Mhz(P166+) around
$355.
The Cyrix is also better that the Pentium with 32bit software. (no
pipeline stalls)
If you plan to do a lot very heavy floating point stuff then the Pentium
is a little
faster.

			/usr/bin/andy