To: axp-list@redhat.com
From: Jay.Estabrook@digital.com
Subject: Re: lx vs sx 
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 23:32:31 -0500


>>> Chris Frost said:
> Hey...I've been doing some thinking and I think it would make more sense
> for my to spedn $1500-$2000 on a nice new computer than get one that will
> only last me a year, so I think I will be going alpha (yeaa!)...anyways, I
> was wondering what the major differences between the lx and sx
> motherboards were...

LX164 uses the 366-600 MHz version of the 21164 chip (aka 21164A), which
has 96Kb secondary cache on-chip. Normally configured with 2Mb tertiary
cache on the motherboard.

SX164 uses the 400-533 MHz 21164PC Alpha CPU (aka PCA56), which has NO
secondary cache on-chip, and usually 1Mb on the motherboard. The CPU also
supports some MMX-style enhancements to the instruction set, though nothing
under LINUX uses them at the moment, AFAIK...

So, performance-wise, at the same MHz, with the additional cache and size,
the LX164 will be faster for cache-intensive applications.

Cost-wise, those caches are more expensive, so be prepared to pay a premium
for the LX164.

--Jay++

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  American Non Sequitur Society: we don't make sense, but we do like pizza...

Jay A Estabrook                         Alpha Migration Tools - LINUX Project
Digital Equipment Corp.                 (978) 506-4202 or (DTN) 226-4202
151 Taylor Street - TAY1-2              enet: Jay.Estabrook@digital.com
Littleton, MA 01460-1407
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-- 
To unsubscribe: send e-mail to axp-list-request@redhat.com with
'unsubscribe' as the subject.  Do not send it to axp-list@redhat.com