We've recieved some requests for FreeBSD benchmarks in the past, but honestly, I'm just not qualified enough in the operating system to run any kind of performance testing on it.
An Athlon64 processor with Cool and Quiet really is a terrific way to go for gamers too. Underclocked and undervolted when the system isn't busy, but the chip can clock itself back up to full speed when applications / games are launched. I've got a few Athlon64 systems in my house, and Cool and Quiet is a godsend, especially for servers and media boxes.
We do have a printer friendly version on our site which compiles the article into a single page without the navigation menus and graphics which go along with our standard reports.
The Pentium-M would make for a fine file serving CPU. Low power, low heat, low noise plenty of actual processing power to get the job done.
For a dedicated file server, I would wait for DFI's upcoming Pentium-M board. This board will use Intel's 6300ESB Southbridge to bring PCI-X to the desktop Pentium-M platform. This is certainly a necessity for any kind of high-speed RAID connectivity. With the AOpen platform we reviewed on our site, you are limited to 32-bit PCI, which can't handle anything besides a basic two-disk RAID array without taxing the PCI bus.
When the motherboards get there in volume, the Pentium-M will be a terrific serving CPU. Any kind of serving, really. File, web, game, database.
Prices for Pentium-M chips aren't that bad now. While they are "slow" in terms of clock cycle, their performance in comparison to the P4 / A64 matches fairly well with their price ranges. Pentium-M motherboards are far, far too expensive now, since there is only one (soon to be two) motherboards on the market. They are running about 3x price premium over a comparatively spec'd P4 / A64 board.
I actually wrote a separate article specifically for Pentium-M gaming performance, which is also on our site. Half-Life 2 runs pretty terrific on a Pentium-M chip. On par with the best Pentium 4's and Athlon64's out there.
Actually, our servers appear to be handling the load just fine, we're just plum out of bandwidth to serve all the requests. I guess this is the price we pay for putting all those high-res shots in the article.
The AOpen board does allow basic FSB overclocking and has a PCI / AGP lock, but does not have voltage boosting abilities. Our 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 was stable overclocked to 2.3 GHz levels. Doesn't sound like much, but that's a 15% overclock. There is a section on this in the article, too.
Hey everyone. Since you guys are crushing our servers and not everyone may get the chance to check out the article, I thought I would chime in for those who are curious. I'm the one who wrote the article (about two weeks ago, in fact). If anyone has any questions about the Pentium-M or the article, feel free to ask.
I'm running on one of these setups now. I just liked the hardware so much that I threw down the cash and took it home with me.
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We've recieved some requests for FreeBSD benchmarks in the past, but honestly, I'm just not qualified enough in the operating system to run any kind of performance testing on it.
An Athlon64 processor with Cool and Quiet really is a terrific way to go for gamers too. Underclocked and undervolted when the system isn't busy, but the chip can clock itself back up to full speed when applications / games are launched. I've got a few Athlon64 systems in my house, and Cool and Quiet is a godsend, especially for servers and media boxes.
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/print_content.asp?id=do thandesktop
The Pentium-M would make for a fine file serving CPU. Low power, low heat, low noise plenty of actual processing power to get the job done. For a dedicated file server, I would wait for DFI's upcoming Pentium-M board. This board will use Intel's 6300ESB Southbridge to bring PCI-X to the desktop Pentium-M platform. This is certainly a necessity for any kind of high-speed RAID connectivity. With the AOpen platform we reviewed on our site, you are limited to 32-bit PCI, which can't handle anything besides a basic two-disk RAID array without taxing the PCI bus. When the motherboards get there in volume, the Pentium-M will be a terrific serving CPU. Any kind of serving, really. File, web, game, database.
Prices for Pentium-M chips aren't that bad now. While they are "slow" in terms of clock cycle, their performance in comparison to the P4 / A64 matches fairly well with their price ranges. Pentium-M motherboards are far, far too expensive now, since there is only one (soon to be two) motherboards on the market. They are running about 3x price premium over a comparatively spec'd P4 / A64 board.
I actually wrote a separate article specifically for Pentium-M gaming performance, which is also on our site. Half-Life 2 runs pretty terrific on a Pentium-M chip. On par with the best Pentium 4's and Athlon64's out there.
Actually, our servers appear to be handling the load just fine, we're just plum out of bandwidth to serve all the requests. I guess this is the price we pay for putting all those high-res shots in the article.
The AOpen board does allow basic FSB overclocking and has a PCI / AGP lock, but does not have voltage boosting abilities. Our 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 was stable overclocked to 2.3 GHz levels. Doesn't sound like much, but that's a 15% overclock. There is a section on this in the article, too.
I'm running on one of these setups now. I just liked the hardware so much that I threw down the cash and took it home with me.
- Chris / GamePC