what computer to buy

[glenn at aoi.ultranet.com (Glenn Burkhardt)]

> Hi guys,
> 
> I haven't been to a meeting since I started working second shift and Satur-days
> last August (I miss the beer at CBC too!), but I saw Rodney's post and have a
> question or two.  I want to buy an intell-ish system and have found that nobody
> selling hardware understands what makes a board, a chip, and O/S *really* hum
> together, especially when it comes to running linux.
> 
> I need advice on boards and chips.  I am considering an Asus board
> (P/I-P55TVP4) with an Intel Pentium 133 (possibly MMX) and 512 cache / 32Mb of
> 60ns RAM, but no one has the guts to say "no performance hit with linux using
> this board over an Intel board" and there are *several* intel boards (with HX
> and VX based chipsets - which are also available on many "bargain-brand"
> boards)  Has anyone used an Asus board?  What about the Cyrix 686 family of
> chips? Any problems?  Good experiences?  I'm only running linux and W95.

> -- Chuck

What makes a computer "hum", really depends on what you want to do with it,
of course (CPU intensive vs IO intensive, size of application, network
bandwidth requirements, etc.).

But ....

The Asus boards are supposed to be OK.  You should be able to get one at a 
reasonable price with the VX or HX chipset.  I don't believe there will be
any performance difference between an Intel and and an Asus motherboard; they'll
both use the same components and general board design.  It's the chips used
that count these days.

We just went through a similar exercise, but my information is now 3 months
old, so it's possible everything's changed.

The VX chipset supports RAM configurations up to 128mb, and supports
FPM, EDO, and SDRAM.  The HX chipset supports RAM configurations up to 
512mb, and supports FPM, EDO, and ECC.  I don't know about speeds; I suspect
they're the same.  Check out the specs on the chipsets - they're available on
the Intel web site.

Cyrix chips are OK if they match the motherboard.  Certain rev Cyrix chipsets
don't work with certain rev motherboards.  Also, the Cyrix chips are optimized
to run 16 bit code (e.g., Win95).  

However, we closed our eyes and threw a dart at HSB Laboratories (800 497 0401),
and bought a SL586V motherboard and a Cyrix P150+ processor (motherboard for 
$141 and processor for $160, 3 yr waranty, company blessed by the local Better
Business Bureau).  The motherboard design is new this year, and I counted on 
them to supply a Cyrix processor that was properly matched to the motherboard.

We were extremely pleased with the result.  Between the processor speed and 
the disk IO (EIDE PIO modes 0-5), my impression is that the machine was faster
for compile/link jobs than a Sparc 5.  I have no benchmark data however - the 
machine has already been shipped to a customer.  We had no trouble running 
RedHat 4.0 on it.

One item that apparently makes a significant performance difference is the
size of the L2 cache.  Most machines are equipped with 256k; 512k is worth the
$20 if you are interested in performance.

The more significant feature for a machine is disk transfer speed.  Be sure you
get a fast disk, and support on the motherboard for the faster IDE transfer
rates.

Finally, if you really want the fastest 32 bit performance, get a Pentium Pro,
with an Ultra SCSI Wide disk.

Good Luck!