Hello Tom. >I was at a local PC user group meeting (non-Linux) when >an IDT rep presented the original WinChip. He said it >was OPTIMIZED for Win32 programs. This I understood also. Since I assume however that optimizing a processor for Win32 must boil down to analyzing which instruction(sequence)s are used most frequently in your average Win32 environment, and cutting down on the number of clocks for those, and expect that any operating system will spend the vast majority of CPU cycles on application code (as opposed to kernel code, after all, running applications is the job its hired to do :-) and futhermore assume that on the average and as far as the instructions executed are concerned, Linux application code won't be all that different from Win32 application code (guess this could be a bad assumption) I didn't worry about it much. However >That would lead me to suspect it would not be the best >choice for running with Linux. Nor Windows it seems. Searching the net some more provided me with some, impartial, benchmarks showing the WinChip to perform rather (to very) poorly on anything other than bussiness-type apps, and since my main incentive for upgrading would be having LucasArt's Grim Fandango run just a tad more smoothly I guess I just might take your advice. >Why not an AMD K6-2/(200/266/300/350/400)? If I can, that is. I am, and have been for some time, rather out of touch with the hardware stuff, so if you're able to provide me with some more information, it'd really be much appreciated... I'm looking for a real cost effective (very cheap :-) solution, which means holding on to my current MB. It supports bus speeds up to 66 MHz, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 multipliers (200MHz max, therefore), and only single voltage CPUs, either 3.3V +/- 5% or 3.45-3.6 (VRE). Does the AMD K6-2 fit this profile, and if so, which AMD K6-2 speedmarking corresponds to the physical 200MHz speed? I myself am under the impression that the single voltage requirement could mess things up? How about the AMD K6 (minus the 2) and its speedmarkings? If you or anyone else could throw in some information on Cyrix CPUs as well, I'd be eternally in your debt. >I'm using three AMD K6's in my computers and have not >had ANY problems (otherthan my own uh,.. stupidity :-)). >One of them has been going now for over four years >(plain K6, not a K6-2) without a single problem. I'm still in love with my ancient AMD 386DX-40, so having an AMD again might be nice... :-) Thanks in advance, Rene.
