Re: [tlug] OT:dual core CPUs

[Curt Sampson <cjs@example.com>]

On Mon, 16 Apr 2007, Darren Cook wrote:

> As fast as possible would be nice, with good L2 cache, but I don't
> have much budget. Any advice on where the best price/performance point
> is currently?

Just as a reference, we (at Starling) just picked up the following for a
new server (the prices are as best I remember):

    16,000	Asus M2N-VM DH motherboard, AM2 socket, dual-channel DDR2 RAM
    18,000	AMD Athlon 64 X2 1mb cache 4000+ CPU
    18,000	2 x 512 MB 800 MHz DDR2 RAM

The motherboard will do single-channel RAM as well, but you definitely
want to go for two DIMMs if you want better memory bandwith.

Memtest86+ gives me bandwidth of about 2 GB/sec for RAM, 4 GB/sec for L2
cache, and 16 GB/sec for L1 cache.

Now that the price has dropped, you can get a 4600+ for less than the
price of our 4000+.

When looking at prices on kakaku.com, note that the 89W processors are
the ones with 1 MB L2 cache, and the 65W ones are the ones with 512 KB.

> Could I expect to get a dual-core (1GB memory, 80G HD, on-board video,
> etc.) machine for under 50,000 yen?

Looks like it, if yoiu're willing to go for a 939-socket motherboard,
and a low-end (3800+ or so) CPU with only 512 KB cache.

> How much budget do I need if I want 2-CPU dual-core?

Lots, lots more. Dual CPU motherboards are quite expensive.

cjs
--
Curt Sampson       <cjs@example.com>        +81 90 7737 2974