Replies to post #6293 on Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[Dan3]

Re: Here's a helpful discussion of the difference between PCs and x86 workstations.

Well, for under $2,000, ($1,803, to be exact) these guys: http://www.micropro.com/sysitem.htm will sell you a workstation with dual 64-bit 1.4ghz Opteron 240 CPUs and 2 gigabytes of ECC DDR ram. It's expandable to 12GB of RAM.

A 64-bit system that accommodates 2 CPUs and 12GB of DDR is very much a workstation, wouldn't you say? The $1,803 box is modestly configured, but is an acceptable platform for 64-bit development in 2gig of RAM, and additional memory modules can be plugged in at any time.

Add a Matrox G450 dual head PCI video card ($125) for dual monitor workstation class graphics support and you're still under $2,000.

What's the cost of the case alone that can handle the heat dissipated by two 130watt CPUs? What's the cost of a motherboard for 64-bit CPUs that don't have integrated chipset functionality? What, today, can I get in a dual processor Intanium workstation with dual head graphics and 2gig of RAM for $2,000?

[RANT]

OOPs, I forgot, despite starting 10 years ago and spending $5+ Billion, Intel doesn't yet offer a 64-bit workstation (they shipped a handful of boxes, but had to withdraw them because of buggy Itanium CPUs).

But they'll be available Real Soon Now, right?

Too bad the only thing they'll be good for is a handfull of matrixed operations, and even then extreme compiler optimizations are required. Too bad Itanium won't run standard software meaning that everything has to be re-written and re-tested for it. Too bad Intel's maximally incompatible "deposit your corporate nuts into our proprietary lock-in box" API is such a nightmare to work with.

[/RANT]

[yourbankruptcy]

chipguy. These are PCs

No they are not. We use mostly Ultra5's and Ultra10's for desktops. They are around $1,000-$2,000 on secondary market now. There are some few Linux machines as well, but not much.

So I don't know who is targeted by $1,300 Deerfields, but definitely not real customers. Maybe Intel thinks it can show it some to us? If Opteron & A64 takes off it will get a warm welcome.