Re: Linux on AMD K6

Dan Hollis (goemon@sasami.anime.net)
Thu, 10 Jul 1997 16:22:39 -0700 (PDT)

On 10 Jul 1997, Karl D. Nelson wrote:
> This thread has rapidly deteriorated into a comparison of web servers, but
> let's return to the question at hand: how does the K6 perform? These are
> the questions that I would like answers to before I would be willing to go
> with the AMD:
>
> - Does the AMD K6 have subtle x86 compatibility problems such as have been
> discussed on this list before with the Cyrix chips?

Not as far as I can tell. Also consider the fact that the K6 does _not_
have the (now infamous) PPro/P2 fpu bug.

> - AMD compares the K6 to the PPro but the chip sits in a P5 socket. Does
> this limit its truly functioning as a PPro clone?

The K6 is not a PPro clone.

> - The K6 has a larger cache than the PPro (according to AMD) but it's
> accessed at 66 MHz rather than at the chip clock speed as with PPro. How
> much of a hit is this?

Not much.

CPU Dhrystones
---------------------- ----------
AMD K6/200 374838.4
Pentium Pro 200 356929.4

Note that K6 seems to have about 30% slower FPU (but less buggy too :-).
If the majority of stuff you do is int, as I suspect it is, the K6 is a
great value.

-Dan

[*] For would-be benchmark flamers: stick it in your ear. I know all the
arguments about benchmarks and I don't need to hear them again.