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Hardware SIG
by Herbert Wong, Jr. NOCCC, OCUG@SingularityTechnology.com - November 30, 2001 at 17:48:50:
Hardware SIG Herbert Wong, Jr. NOCCCThe topic for the Hardware SIG for November 4, 2001 was "Microprocessor, Chipset, and Memory Technology."
I discussed the generations of (mainly Intel) microprocessors. The changes include word (register) size (from 16-bit to 64-bit), bus size (from 8-bit to 256-bit), cache size (from none to several megabytes), socket configuration (pin grid array and slot-1), clock speed (4.77 mega-Hertz to 2 giga-Hertz), etc.
As never before, it is important to understand that the basis for selecting a microprocessor is its ability to perform specific work (run particular applications) when configured within a specifically configured computer system (type and quantity of RAM, hard disk drive, video card performance, etc.). Remember, the specific chipset used in the motherboard also has a tremendous impact upon performance and features.
More importantly, it is vital to understand that the clock speed of a microprocessor (ex. - 2 giga-Hertz) has very little correlation to its ability to do work within a complete system. A microprocessor that lacks a floating point unit (FPU), might be orders of magnitude slower when working with high precision decimal numbers. Removing all memory caches from the system will likewise cripple the performance of the system.
The earliest microprocessors required several clock cycles for the most common instructions (and requiring perhaps dozens of cycles for simple floating point calculations). Modern microprocessor instruction pipelines rely upon parallel execution, branch prediction, speculative execution, and other optimizations to improve performance. Different generations of microprocessors execute instructions at the rate of one, two, three, and four per clock cycle!
Compare this to an automobile. The engine runs at five thousand r.p.m. How fast does it go? The transmission is not one hundred percent efficient (different transmissions are less efficient). The various gears change the speed and torque. Different diameter tires change this.
Two seemingly identical microprocessors might have radically different performances if one had its level-two cache is one-half the microprocessors clock speed. Two otherwise identical microprocessors running at different clock speeds may not necessarily yield any real world performance differences if the rest of the system is not up to meeting its demands.
The best indicator of performance is to run your applications on the system you are considering. Okay, this is not very practical, however, it is the only way to prove the case for one system over another. Failing this, look for reviews that use your favorite applications in benchmarks (simulation tests) to compare that particular configuration to identically configured systems.
Chipsets are designed to interface the various components on the motherboard by means of various buses (data paths). Different chipsets offer different combinations of features (USB, IEEE1394, RDRAM, UltraDMA100, etc.). Due to this, it may be more important to select the desired features (and resultant performance or functionality) before selecting the microprocessor itself.
Some extreme requirements might dictate the use of particular chipsets and even particular microprocessors. Only a few chipsets support three gigabytes of RAM. Intel Pentium IV microprocessors are not multiprocessor capable. Two, or more, processors require systems with AMD Athlon MP, Intel Pentium III, or Intel Itanium microprocessors.
Random access memory (RAM) can be a limiting factor in a system. The fastest microprocessors require the instantaneous availability of large amounts of data. The various chipsets allow faster and faster types of RAM to be used with the different microprocessors. There are newer and better choices on the horizon.
Do research at the sites listed on the NOCCC Links page (http://www.noccc.org/links/index.html). Some of these are:
PC Technology http://www.pctechguide.com
Sharky Extreme http://www.sharkyextreme.com/
Tom's Hardware http://www.tomshardware.com/
OverClockers http://www.overclockers.com/.
Good segue. The topic for the December 2, 2001 Hardware SIG is "System Power and Cooling; and Basic Overclocking." I'll try to toss out some ideas on what is needed and what is happening to basic computer case design.
You can contact me at OCUG@SingularityTechnology.com.
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