Get Ready for the Athlon 64 Price War: Huge Savings on Laptops!

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the anticipated launch of AMD's Athlon 64 processor and its implications for pricing in the laptop market, particularly in relation to Intel's offerings. Participants explore the potential for a price war between AMD and Intel, the performance of the Athlon 64 compared to existing processors, and the relevance of 64-bit technology for consumers.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express hope that the launch of the Athlon 64 will trigger a price war between AMD and Intel, leading to better prices for consumers.
  • Others argue that the Athlon 64 will likely be priced around $450 and remain stable for several months after its release.
  • There is a claim that only two major companies will offer 64-bit CPUs initially: AMD and Apple/IBM with their G5, although some participants suggest Intel may have 64-bit developments underway.
  • One participant mentions the Itanium as an existing 64-bit CPU, but notes it is not aimed at consumers.
  • Discussion includes the code names for AMD's processors, with "Hammer" being mentioned, and a new OS from Microsoft based on it, referred to as "The Anvil."
  • Some participants express skepticism about the necessity of 64-bit technology, stating they do not see a need to upgrade until they require more than 4GB of RAM.
  • Concerns are raised about the performance of the Athlon 64 based on a review, with some participants suggesting that Intel remains the leader in CPUs.
  • There are conflicting views on the advantages of 64-bit processing over 32-bit, with some arguing that it does not necessarily equate to increased bandwidth or speed without software support.
  • Participants discuss the implications of software support for 64-bit processing, noting that without it, the advantages may not be realized.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions regarding the impact of the Athlon 64 on the market, the necessity of 64-bit technology, and the performance comparisons between AMD and Intel. No consensus is reached on these points, indicating ongoing disagreement and uncertainty.

Contextual Notes

Some statements rely on assumptions about future software support for 64-bit processing and the performance of upcoming processors. The discussion reflects varying levels of skepticism and optimism regarding the transition to 64-bit technology.

  • #31
"2500+" is a "performance rating" meaning it performs about the same as a P4 running at 2.5 ghz. Its a marketing thing since most people only look at the number and don't necessarily understand that that's not the only factor in determining performance. The 2500+ runs at 1.83ghz (variations of a % or 2 are normal).

Virtual memory is what your operating system uses on your hard drive when it runs out of physical memory (ram). Since you have 512MB, it is unlikely that you will ever use much virtual memory (windows always uses a little) so changing the size won't have much effect on your system - it won't be used.


64 bits (I mentioned it in another thread) refers to the size of the numbers or instructions that a computer can handle at one time. One of the main benefits initially is that it breaks the 4 GB memory barrier - 32 bit processing if you do the math (2^32) means you can only address up to 4GB of memory.

As for your freezing problem, hit ctl+alt+del once and click "task manager" then "processes" and it will tell you exactly what programs are using how much of your processor. You may be able to pinpoint (and disable) the one that is messing you up.

512-480=32MB. 32MB is the amount of your system ram being dedicated to your display adapter. Machines without a dedicated video card and its own ram have to steal system memory. Its not a real big deal except that it is considerably slower than dedicated video ram - if you ever get into 3d games, you'll want a stand-alone video card.
 
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  • #32
Thank you for the advice Russ, I tried the taskmanager thing before, but it doesn't tell me much, besides that there are like about 43 processes, practically all not using any CPU. I did notice that a trial version virus scanner seems to overload the system when the fan is on.. I'll just stick with NAV.
 
  • #33
Originally posted by Guybrush Threepwood
just wait for Win2004
Ugh that's a scary thought! Gee I wonder how many patches that OS will have. It's all about the Penguin baby! I'm staying under the brim (Redhat 9)
 
  • #34
Tweek, now your a Redhat Fanatic? What happened to the super awsome Knoppix STD.
 
  • #35
I use both and I like both. I like Knoppix STD the best because it is easy to use but it's only a disk. Redhat 9 is staying on my new HD partition. Redhat is good and I can call for help everytime I mess something up. I'm going to try out debian. I have all the disks and a bunch of apps. I just need money for a new HD. I'm going to slap it in my old P3 next week.


I take it you like debian the best?
What are some good linux message boards that you go to for info?

I go to thebroken.org, cyberarmy.com, and
linuxforum.com

I'm still a noob to linux but I'm a fast learner. I want to be able to break free from windows completely sometime soon.
 
  • #36
oh, c'mon people...
let's take over windows first and then we'll fight about what linux is the best...
 
  • #37
Actualy I use Redhat. I've been using it since version 4.2 (May 1997). I've just recently gotten into debian and like the fact that it is very pure.

I usually get my info from mailing lists and newsgroups. I'm sometimes on the kde irc channel. I do quite a bit of development under kdevelop. I've recently been doing some web development with php on my apache webserver. I'm also part of the linux user group.
 

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