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kpf

06/25/03 12:49 PM

#7395 RE: yourbankruptcy #7391

yb re: ...but when A64 will have some speedgrades below $100, many people will rush in to get the dual-processor setup for $350

At that time most probably there will be no need for a dual processor setup as we know it today: Dual core CPUs will be available then - maybe on die or maybe dual CPU-package - for single-socket mainboards, I guess.

K.
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sgolds

06/25/03 6:20 PM

#7427 RE: yourbankruptcy #7391

yourbankruptcy, I am challenging your assumptions about the efficiency of a dual A64 system. I believe you are overlooking a basic design consideration: With only one aHT channel, that channel has to be divided into two 8-bit channels on one of the processors so that you can support access to I/O and access to remote DRAM. (That is assuming the channel can be so reconfigured, which I am not sure. Otherwise, you would have to implement an external controller to time splice between two different destinations for the one 16-bit channel.)

Both processors get burdened because now they are only connected by half an aHT channel (either halved into 8-bits, or sharing bandwidth with I/O).

Now, what happens when each processor has to access remote DRAM? Your remote DRAM access now is in competition with your I/O. Not a pretty picture! It gets worse when one processor has to copy from remote DRAM to, say, a DVD-RW on the remote processor.

Essentially, in existing designs, it is equivalent to taking a P4 or Athlon and disabling the northbridge - instead, bringing in memory from the southbridge (in competition with PCI).

It would be a crippled system. You won't achieve what you want.

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jhalada

06/26/03 1:33 AM

#7440 RE: yourbankruptcy #7391

yb,

I don't understand your interest in dual A64. FIrst of all, there may never be such a thing, second of all, why would you not buy dual Opteron instead?

Price is one issue, I understand, but the difference maynot be huge. There will always be lower clocked Opteron CPU selling for less than high end, and I am sure someone will release motherboard in $150 - $250 range.

Joe