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Date:      Fri, 28 Jun 1996 12:24:37 -0500
From:      bdodson@beowulf.utmb.edu (M. L. Dodson)
To:        jeff@tad.cetlink.net
Cc:        freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Cyrix Processors
Message-ID:  <199606281724.MAA26064@beowulf.utmb.EDU>

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[deleted]
> 
> I have upgraded 2 of my servers to the P166+ (Cyrix) and FIC PA-2002 mainboards.

I have the same motherboard (I'm pretty sure) running with a genuine Intel
P75.  The stress test I use is to run bonnie in a loop with a 32MB file.
Adaptec 2940 (not UW) with an IBM 512MB scsi disk.  Only other card is 
the video. This with 2.1R.

> I have had some problems with this. For starters, a kernel compiled with only
> the I586_CPU will not boot. When compiled with both the I486_CPU and I586_CPU
> options, the kernel will boot, but the cpu is identified as a 486 cpu. Next, 
> X will not start using xinit. I have to start X with xdm to get things to go.
> WHen I was using an AMD DX4-100 CPU, X would start and the system would then
> perform well. I have tried to compare the performance of the AMD and the Cyrix
> chips, as well as with a P100 machine (all identical OS and periphials) and the
> P100 outperforms both. I am also interested in other peoples results as I can
> not justify upgrading anymore machines at this time. Lastly, the Cyrix machine
> will randomly crash without any logs or warnings. This is unpredictable.
> 

Mine does the same if the external cache is enabled (two different sets of
chips -- 15ns -- tried.)  With ext. cache disabled, two tests went more than
12 hrs without crashing.  8MB of 70ns memory.  Sometimes a SCSI bus reset
error message is logged to the console, but mostly it just silently dies.
With cache enabled I never got longer than 7 hr into a run.

I suspect this motherboard is very marginal.  75mhz is not fast nowadays.

Bud Dodson

> Regards,
> Jeff
> > 
> 
> 

--
M. L. Dodson                                bdodson@scms.utmb.edu
409-772-2178                                FAX: 409-772-1790



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