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Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 10:02:59 -0700
From: "Jin Guojun[ITG]" <jin@george.lbl.gov>
Message-Id: <199705231702.KAA29056@george.lbl.gov>
To: rhh@ct.picker.com
Subject: Re: Intel Pentium II released
Cc: hardware@FreeBSD.ORG
Sender: owner-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG
X-Loop: FreeBSD.org
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Randall Hopper stated:
} Jin Guojun[ITG]:
}  |> Cameron Slye wrote:
}  |> > I am doing the make world thing of course...  My last make world tests wer
} e
}  |> > on a K6 166, In the end, with it overclocked to 200mhz, it was about 8min
}  |> > slower then the p6-200. (I did not at the time have enought ram, 32mb and
}  |
}  |As I tested, K6-200 MHz CPU is equivalent to 300 MHz Pentium CPU in integer
}  |and about 180 MHz Pentium CPU in float instructions. This is because K6 has
}  |a 32-bit FPU and Pentium family has 64-bit FPU.
} 
} So am I infering correctly that you have a K6-200 working under FreeBSD?
} 
} That's good to hear.  I've had my eye on this chip.

Yup, in talking to ADM engineers, they try to convince me that K6 is P6 like
CPU, but can use socket-7 to run on a P5 motherboard. In the meantime,
Intel engineers told me that TX PCI chipset (latest Triton family) fixed
currency and memory speed conflict issue, and ASUS just made 97TX motherboard
to support K6 CPU. They all happened at same time. Well, how to know things
working without trying.

It looks like that K6 is good for servers who do not use float instructions
or do little float calaulation. Comparing the price and performance:

single K6-200 system cost: (current pricing)
	CPU $430 + MB $155 = $585	=> 300 MHz Pentium	1.95$ / MHz

dual P55-200 system cost:
	CPU $300 x 2 + MB $225 = $825	=> 380 MHz aggregate CPU power ?
or two single P55 systems:
	CPU $300 x 2 + MB $155 x 2 = $910 => 400 MHz Pentium	2.275$ / MHz

If you need more FPU power, then, Pentium-II is a better choice. Why not PPro?
Most vendors are use 440FX PCI chipset which has currency with conflict memory
issue. Unless you do not need memory bandwith, P6 is not a good choice. Also,
Intel may not improve PCI chipset for P6 family in the further. If you tell
chip maker to add $10 more on they chips, it drives them nuts.
End user may NOT care you vendor add $20 on a good motherboard ($10 for chipset
and $10 for profit), but $5 for chip maker is a big deal. The point is P6 will
has a short life, and Pentium-II is the next one. Pentium-II improves many
things and has AGP inline.

This is my few cents,

-Jin