Terry Mathews wrote:
> > > http://www6.tomshardware.com/mainboard/02q1/020220/kt333-11.html
> > Games garbage. My computers aren't toys. It'll be a while before I can
> > afford yet another new memory type the way they've been changing so fast
> > lately and keeping prices up.
> Since when is increased memory bandwidth "games garbage"? Especially under
> Linux, I can think of many programs that would benifit from increased RAM
> bandwidth. X-Windows being one...
All the graphs on the provided URL were about Quake performance. Games
are mostly about windoze video, which has little to do with real work.
> > > As for your choice in brand, I think that you are sadly mistaken if you
> > > are planning on going with intel. The only thing that intel has going
> > Maybe you missed the point "if . . . today". Most VIA boards in retail
> > inventory today either require new RAM (DDR or PC2100 or whatever) or
> > have the handicapped chipsets (most). If I was buying at today's higher
> > than when I bought memory prices, I'd want to use my PC133 memory, not
> > spend just as much for (my current amount of) RAM as for the motherboard
> > and CPU.
> A) I have serious problems with calling VIA chipsets "handicapped". Intel is
> notorious for handicapping chipsets, VIA is notorious for screwing up
I don't think Intel has ever intentionally handicapped chipsets, unlike
what they regularly do with CPU's.
> chipsets. There is an important lack of intent there. VIA also tends to fix
> their mistankes, where Intel is happy to handicap their hardware (i810e,
> Celeron FCPGA, P4 423pin, P4 478pin, the list goes on...).
The PCI performance deficiency survived many VIA chipsets.
> > AMD chipsets need faster RAM, as do the
> > non-handicapped VIA. SiS support doesn't seem to be mature enough
> > lately, so that leaves only Intel vs. handicapped.
> Here again, you're throwing out "handicapped" and you're not using it in
> reference to an Intel product. Shame. Also, you're completely missing out on
> ALi which is a decent chipset producer, as long as you don't mind the fact
> that they produce chipsets that don't exactly excel at being "gaming
> garbage." I.E. their RAM bandwidth is not equal to VIAs or AMDs.
I don't experiment with motherboard brands. I stick with the several
I've used in the past. If they don't offer ALi, then I don't consider
ALi. No ALi chipset board I've ever had opportunity to test was anything
less than a dog compared to its contemporaries.
> AMD and VIA chipsets don't "need" faster RAM. They can take advantage of it.
If the boards using them don't accept PC133 DIMM's, they need the newer,
more expensive, faster RAM.
> Big diff. If you are running an SDRAM system, you can choose to get a 200MHz
> bus AMD processor, or a 266MHz bus AMD processor. 100MHz RAM goes with the
> 200MHz proc, 133MHz RAM goes with the 266MHz proc. Every AMD motherboard I
> have seen (And I have seen several) can detect the CAS settings from the SPD
> chip, so there is no problems there. In short, AMD mobos are no more picky
> than Intel mobos when it comes to RAM.
> > I'm confused about this patch business. What do they patch, device BIOS
> > code? Drivers? Surely if drivers they would be windoze only, no? I
> > didn't see anything in what I snipped that indicated the patches applied
> > regardless of OS, which to me means windoze only and therefore useless
> > when I boot into Linux or OS/2.
> The "patch" toggles a bit in the chipset that makes the PCI bus timing more
> agressive. Even though VIA still has a patch up for it, most reputable
I never before heard that chipsets contained anything writable.
> motherboard makers (ASUS, MSI, Abit, Soyo) never had this problem in the
> first place, or fixed it in a BIOS flash. So, since it is fixed in firmware
> on most boards (And the firmware actually caused the problem; there is no
> real defect in the VIA chipset), the fix is applied to all OSes. Also, I
> know of one person who developed a kernel-mode "driver" to increase the
> timing in Linux.
--
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28 KJV
Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409
Felix Miata *** http://mrmazda.members.atlantic.net/
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