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Stephen Adler wrote: > The reason I ask is not so much if SMP is supported or not, but all the > crazy bridge bus chip sets, and interrupt controller chip sets etc. etc. > When I got my Intel based Core 2 Duo system, (i.e. intel motherboard) > there was an issue with the current version of the kernel and lack of > support due to some chip set issue... I can't remember how I dealt with > it, (some odd boot parameter option or something like that.) Has anyone > had any experience using a core 2 quad? Is it worth the extra money? The motherboard chip set could be an issue, though it's a separate one from the processor. Using a new distribution will help. I haven't had any personal experience with the quad. What I've heard is that the extreme (big $$) version isn't worth it unless you absolutely must have the fastest computer for bragging rights, but the less expensive ones (like the Q6600 for about $280 or the Q6700 for $545, current MicroCenter pricing) are worthwhile if your application mix will take advantage of it (multitasking or multithreaded apps). Although the Intel quads only offer so-so scaling, 4 cores are still better than two if you can keep them all working. (On the other hand, the faster dual-core will probably be better for gaming; an E6750 for $190 or an E6850 for $280 look sweet.) AMD's new Barcelona will scale better, but the baseline single-core performance isn't as high except perhaps in scientific computing, because its floating-point performance is very high. Intel will have true quad-core processors (four cores on one chip rather than two chips in an MCM) next year, and those will be faster and scale better. But isn't that always the way? -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [hidden email] http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
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