Opteron Processors

[Josb]

Would someone explain to me what it is about the Opteron processor that makes it so great for servers or "workstations"?

Since it performs so well, why not build a PC around one (or dual) instead of an Athlon64, P4 or Xeon?

And what distinguishes a "workstation" from a PC anyway?

Thanks..............

[dbwillis]

I know that the Opteron is supposed to use registered ECC type DDR memory...I think Pointreyes uses an Opteron...maybe he can give a bit more info..

[pointreyes]

I'm going to try for a simple answer. :)

Opterons on the AMD side are very powerful. My dual Opteron with the slow 1.4Ghz procs are amazingly a little stronger than my dual Xeons (2.66Ghz). The Opterons are using HT links.


AMD 2P System - AMD Opteron™ processor 200 series with 1 HyperTransport™ Inter-processor Bus and 2 HyperTransport™ I/O Buses with DDR400 memory

AMD 4P System - AMD Opteron™ processor 800 series with 4 HyperTransport™ Inter-processor Buses and 4 HyperTransport™ I/O Buses with DDR400 memory

Notice how the 1xx is not mentioned in that quote? That's because it's not needed in a non-SMP setup. Therefore, an Athlon FX or an Opteron for a desktop will be fine but the FX is the preferred choice since it was built for desktop use more so than the Opteron.

What defines a desktop from a workstation/server?
The construction of the motherboard is one of the main factors-the number of layers. A desktop will have 4 layers and the workstation/server will have 6 or more. What makes these layers so important? There are traces on each layer, with 6 layers instead of 4 you can strive for a better design that prevents better the risk of noise between the layers. This can be important for a server or workstation that is getting hit with high volumes of information flowing through those traces. However, a desktop does not require that type of demand. Do you need a dual proc system? Well, I'm doing database development with software that truly uses the technology, including multi-threading programming. If you are gaming, doing Internet stuff, and general Office stuff then a desktop is all that is needed.

[Josb]

Thanks Pointreyes.