Oops, one more thing I should add. You didn't mention anything about
any other parameters, such as disk speeds or types, or the amount of
memory you'd buy, so I'll just make a quick comment about them.
If you're running Windows, I'd recommend 2 GB of RAM as a minimum. 4
GB isn't considered outrageous if you're going to run Vista. I know
that sounds crazy if you haven't run Windows XP or Vista, but believe
me, the amount of RAM you have in your system can make a bigger
difference than a doubling of clock speed. It's waaay different than
the old DOS-based days. Windows Vista starts to get really sluggish
on 512 MB or less. XP will run OK-ish on 256 MB or 512 MB, but it
also will run faster with more RAM.
Disks: These days, with disk capacities having grown by leaps and
bounds, you do not save hardly any cash by specifying "only" an 80
gigabyte disk compared to, say, a 250 GB disk. Some of the bigger
disks will also run faster than the smaller disks due to increased
caches and internal geometries. Many base-model systems now come
standard with a 200 GB or larger disk. 500 GB disks are getting close
to the "sweet spot" price-wise. 1 terabyte drives are very common.
One of the new products we just designed at Apple includes a 1 TB
drive, just for backups!
73,
Dave K7DAA
http://www.k7daa.com
On Feb 23, 2008, at 4:02 PM, Dave Andrus wrote:
I'd pretty much agree. Keep in mind, though, that a dual-core or
quad-core CPU, whether it's Intel or AMD, is not often going to help
you with much of the software out there that is not specifically
written to take advantage of both cores.
That's not to say that I wouldn't buy one--in fact, I'd definitely
recommend any dual-core CPU over a Pentium D or single-core AMD if
you're trying to buy something that will serve your general needs
for the foreseeable future. If you're trying to stay on the cheap
side, any of those you mentioned will run PSK31 or the other sound
card-based programs for ham communications, dual-core or not.
If any thing, I'd try to make sure that the box I buy has a decent
"name brand" sound card in it, like a Sound Blaster Audigy or
similar card, especially one that advertises more capability than a
basic 16-bit A/D converter, which is what most Windows-type sound
cards use. They'll all work fine, but a 20-bit card will give you
some edge if you get into SDR (software-defined radio) designs or
maybe next year's newest sound-card based ham decoders.
As far as front-side bus goes, the higher speeds, of course, will
give you better performance. The downside is that you will pay more
for the faster memory sticks that are required. Generally, you
don't need the fastest front-side bus unless you're using software
that really needs it, and it doesn't sound like you are.
If I were you, I'd probably opt for a mid-range 2+ GHz Intel Core 2
Duo-based box that advertised its quietness. I hate fan noise in
the shack, and the older CPU's often run hotter than some of the
newer dual-core stuff, requiring faster, noisier fans.
I'm sure that the advice to use a 3 GHz processor was assuming the
"old" single-core technology. Even though a dual-core CPU running
at 2 GHz won't run twice as fast as a single-core, you will
definitely see a benefit compared to the "faster" single CPU. Some
of the operating system overhead (presumably Windows in your case)
can be handled more efficiently by the dual-core structure, giving
the appearance of a faster overall CPU "experience" to whatever
program you're running.
Generally, I'd stay away from anything called "Celeron" these days.
In earlier times it was Intel's code word for "cheapest chip with
less capabilities than the others." Even if the clock speed is
higher.
Bottom line: 2 cores at 2.0 GHz will generally run as fast or faster
than a 3.0 GHz Pentium D with less heat. A quad core box is great
if you want to drop the money on it, but it won't be twice as fast
as a dual-core unless you're running very specific software or an OS
that can take advantage of it (like Mac OS X). For front-side bus
speed, go with whatever your pocketbook allows. Faster is always
better. And I'd generally recommend Intel over AMD, but that's a
personal preference only.
Hope this helps a bit.
73,
Dave K7DAA
http://www.k7daa.com
On Feb 23, 2008, at 2:30 PM, Hisashi T Fujinaka wrote:
I work for one of the companies in question, so it's hard for me to
be
completely objective.
CPU frequency isn't the only thing because there are multiple
internal
clocks on the CPUs and one big number isn't going to tell you
everything about how fast things are running internally. The
Pentium D's
with higher clock rates aren't as fast as the Core 2's with lower
clock
rates in every case I've benchmarked (keep in mind I have only a very
minimal set of benchmarks to go on here).
You should also look at power consumpution (the fans are going to
drive
you nuts sometimes). I have noticed that the Core 2 processors are
faster but seem to run the fans a lot less than the Pentium Ds.
Multi-core processors are going to do well fo you if you need to do
multiple processor-intensive things at once. I'm not sure how much
processor it requires to do PSK31 while also running all the Vista
nonsense in the background; someone else will have to vouch for that.
So by now you can probably tell which company I work for. My basic
suggestion is to go with a Core 2 system over a Pentium D system
because
there was a significant architecture change and it helps the
computers
run cooler and quieter. And that's just me talking, not the company.
Oh, and it's usually true nowadays that the computers are fast
enough to
do whatever you need, unless you're processing video in the
background
while you're trying to run the rig.
On Sat, 23 Feb 2008, Robert Tellefsen wrote:
Hi Doug
You've got some real legitimate questions that a
lot of us "non-gurus" would like to hear the answers
to. If you get a lot of your replies direct, could you
summarize them in a post to us "masses"?
Thanks and 73
Bob N6WG
----- Original Message -----
From: "DOUGLAS ZWIEBEL" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2008 3:49 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] OT: Attn CPU gurus - help me
I want to hook my K3's up to the latest skimmer software along with
computer control of the rig, etc. and of course via the LP-Pan when
it
is available (soon).
My query is about the computer processor and associated elements.
Currently, I am reading that the way to go for skimmer (192kc
bandwidth - not that I need that), is to use a machine with a 3G
processor.
But that seems to only account for one element of the system
"rating."
My current ham radio computer is a fossil on which I run DOS stuff.
But my "home" computer (this one) is a Pentium 4, 3.0 Gig. Sounds
right, but......
When I look at the new machines (which seem relatively cheap for
what
you get), I see:
Core 2 Quad Q6600
Core 2 Duo
Pentiuim Dual Core
Celeron
Athlon 64
etc.
Then I see speeds for each of the above, NONE of which goes up to
3.0
gig. Just because my current processor has the "3.0 gig label," I
am
assuming that these newer releases are even faster, despite the
lower
clock rate.
For the app's that I'm looking at, DOES CLOCK RATE RULE or does
this
other stuff count too?
I also see big variables on the L2 Cache: 2MB, 4MB, 8MB -
relatively
speaking, how important are these compared to the other factors?
And then there is the Front Side Bus speed: 800, 1333. Weird that
the Core 2 Quad (which sounds like "the best" to me) has a FSB of
1066
(not the fastest).
And finally, there is the clock speed, which for most of the above
is
2.2, 2.33, 2.66 gig (again, not reaching 3.0).
How do I put all this together? Again, for MY apps, which figure
of
merit is most important? Or do I just multiply them all together?
:-)
Reminder: "CPU gurus" only need respond. I prefer direct replies,
but I assume that this topic might be of wide interest to the
Elecraft
group...YOUR CHOICE if you respond to the list or just to me.
THANKS A TON!
de Doug KR2Q
"Expert on DRGs, not CPUs"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnosis-related_group <this page is
rather outdated>
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: [email protected]
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: [email protected]
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
--
Hisashi T Fujinaka - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
BSEE(6/86) + BSChem(3/95) + BAEnglish(8/95) + MSCS(8/03) + $2.50 =
latte
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: [email protected]
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: [email protected]
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: [email protected]
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
