[Discuss] AMD FX-8120 update

[markw at mohawksoft.com (markw at mohawksoft.com)]

> markw at mohawksoft.com wrote:
>> ...here is the output of /proc/cpuinfo:
>> model name	: AMD FX(tm)-8120 Eight-Core Processor
>> cpu MHz		: 3120.331
>> cache size	: 2048 KB
>> siblings	: 8
>> cpu cores	: 4
>
> http://www.richweb.com/cpu_info
>   If the number of cores = the number of siblings for a given physical
>   processor, then hyperthreading is OFF.
>
> I didn't think AMD did Hyperthreading...

It doesn't.

>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldozer_%28microarchitecture%29
>   ...by eliminating some of the "redundant" elements that naturally
>   creep into multicore designs, AMD has hoped to take better advantage
>   of its hardware capabilities, while using less power.
>
> So does that mean it isn't just L2 cache or FPU that's being shared
> among cores, but other more significant components of the CPU, which,
> like Hyperthreading, are more likely to result in thread contention?
>
> Be interesting to see some sort of a VM benchmark compared between this
> CPU and an Intel equivalent.

I'm am by no means well versed as of yet, but my current understanding is
that the chip has 8 full cores but they are organized as 4 pairs that
share a math-coprocessor.

I'm not entirely sure that the linux kernl fully understands the chip yet.

>
>
>> I'm not feeling the love from Ubuntu 12.04. Anyone have a good distro
>> that
>> uses gnome 2 and the 3.x linux kernel?
>
> After looking at Mint w/Mate, Cinnamon, and Gnome 3 fallback, and Ubuntu
> 11.10 w/Unity, Cinnamon, and Gnome 3 fallback, my bet is that Ubuntu
> 12.04 LTS with an alternate desktop (Cinnamon or Gnome 3 fallback) is
> going to offer the best blend of stability and software support.

I'm playing with 12.04 now, and using the gnome classic desktop, and it is
a big old bag of bugs. My fear is that it will be a second class citizen
and not be properly supported.

>
> (I was intending to write up a post with my experiences evaluating Mint
> and 11.10 with the various desktops, but didn't get to it while all the
> details were fresh in my mind.
>
> The overarching impression was that the differences among the desktops
> was far less dramatic and more superficial than one would expect from
> the way they are described in articles and user comments. They pretty
> much all had the same elements, just with the deck chairs rearranged. If
> you don't happen to be picky about your desktop setup, any one of them
> would likely work fine.
>
> The most annoying attribute of the newest desktops is an inability to
> customize the appearance - rearrange the panels, tweak the window
> decorations, etc. - and Unity seemed to be the most locked down. Though
> didn't I see recently that there is some Unity config tool available for
> 12.04?
>
> What I can say is that neither Unity or Cinnamon properly handled my
> multiple monitor setup. I think I achieved the closest emulation of
> GNOME 2 using Gnome 3 fallback.
>
> I need to run another round of tests with the 12.04 beta.)
>
>  -Tom
>
> --
> Tom Metro
> Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
> "Enterprise solutions through open source."
> Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/
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