TomsHardware has an extensive benchmark of the AMD Opteron system, Extremetech has a long analysis of the CPU itself, while NewsForge reviews SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 on AMD Opteron hardware. Read more for the Mandrake press release about their 64-bit version of Linux for the Opteron.
MandrakeSoft, a worldwide Linux technology leader, today announced the immediate availability of Mandrake Linux Corporate Server 2.1 for the newly released AMD OpteronTM processor. Mandrake Linux Corporate Server is one of the first business-class operating systems available for the new AMD64 architecture.
Designed to benefit from the power of this new 64-bit processor, the Mandrake Corporate Server 2.1 for the AMD Opteron processor is aimed at businesses that require high-performance systems for intensive computing applications, especially in the field of critical server functions such as web-servers, database deployment (with MySQL-64), and application & file servers.
The Mandrake Linux Corporate server also offers the tools needed to create a full-featured enterprise network, complete with the latest up-to-date software and security updates, and of course MandrakeSoft’s legendary “user friendly” touch.
In addition, the Mandrake Corporate Server 2.1 for the AMD Opteron processor is a flexible solution that simplifies migration from the
32-bit world to the 64-bit world as it allows users to run both 32- and 64-bit Linux applications
“The Mandrake Corporate Server 2.1 for the AMD Opteron processor is the result of an intensive
one-year collaboration with AMD to deliver a comprehensive, full-featured and powerful Linux operating system for this exciting new
platform. Sold with an extended support offering, the Mandrake Corporate Server 2.1 will meet the strong demand for high-availability servers running on this new generation of AMD64 technology,? said Jacques Le Marois, President of MandrakeSoft.
When compared to the same product running on a traditional 32-bit architecture, the Corporate Server 2.1 for AMD Opteron processors can offer an average performance gain of 25% as a result of AMD64 architecture.
The AMD 64-bit architecture will allow customers to optimize 32- or 64-bit application performance using the 64-bit Mandrake Linux operating system. AMD Opteron processor-based servers and Mandrake Linux can be used to power compute-intensive environments including enterprise database, Web server and rendering,? said Rich Heye, vice president and general manager of AMD?s Microprocessor Business Unit.
The Corporate Server 2.1 for the AMD Opteron processor has undergone an extensive 12-month development cycle to ensure unprecedented product stability and quality, as well as facilitating the certification process of enterprise-class applications.
The Mandrake Linux Corporate Server is sold under a subscription basis which includes the product, support and direct access to software updates. Two support options are available: the “Standard” option ($749 USD) is valid for five incidents within a one-year period, and the “Unlimited” option ($1499 USD) is valid for unlimited incidents during a one-year period. This product is also available for OEMs.
The Mandrake Corporate Server 2.1 for the AMD Opteron processor is now available for purchase at MandrakeStore.com: http://www.mandrakestore.com
This is a very poor comparison of CPU performance if I ever read one. But I am not surprised. Tom is not really competent for server hardware reviews.
And BTW the video is crap, don´t bother with it.
… This is a very poor comparison of CPU performance if I ever read one.
Completly agree.
For a better review, check out the one @ http://www.aceshardware.com
I called on two servers today and found out they are not shipping until summer.
So today is merely just another paperlaunch day, not anything of substance.
I must say I am surprised to see so many crippled server designs with 4 or 6 DIMM slots for both 64-bit CPUs (not each). It is just plain stupid to ship a server with anything less than the 8 DIMM slots per CPU that AMD supports. The whole point of Opteron is price/performance. Forcing people to utilize super expensive 2GB DIMMs to get reasonable memory capacity is just plain stupid. Why even build the machine if you are going to cripple its greatest advantage?
Nvidia’s latest vaporchip, the nForce3, supports only 4 DIMMs. That is simply retarded for a 64-bit processor.
Anyhow, I hope we’ll see some better designs over the next few months. Today’s first batch seem pretty weak.
On Monday, Jerry Sanders, Chairman of AMD, in top form, managed a single sentence that took in the whole industry:
“tomorrow AMD will change the world and I’m not Steve Jobs, so we’re going to change the real world.”
A dual opteron computer? Where the heck does Tom get this stuff? He must have contacts up high.
I found the review OK, actually. Instructive for sure, and the benchmarks seem to be quite interesting. However, I have misgivings on comparing a 64 bit CPU system to a 32 bit system. It’s just not possible. There are things that the 64 bit system will be able to do while the 32 bit will never be able. And I didn’t quite understand why were the FPU benchmarks included in the “server” section.
Windows XP? Last time I checked, that wasn’t a server OS. It also has minimal driver support, doesn’t support NUMA, etc. It’s a worthless set of benchmarks, especially considering the test hardware was in a 1U chassis! Hardly a desktop machine.
Windows 2003 Server would have been a better OS to benchmark if one had to benchmark an MS OS.
Ace’s Hardware has a pretty good review online. Anyone interested in seeing some real server app benchmarks should head over there.
Personally, it looks like AMD might have a winner here. Looking forward to the desktop chip release!
> Nvidia’s latest vaporchip, the nForce3, supports only 4 DIMMs. That is simply retarded for a 64-bit processor.
It’s even worse: it doesn’t support any memory at all.
The memory controller in an Opteron system is on the CPU not on the chipset.
The greatest advantage of the Opteron, Hypertransport does not seem to have been tested here too.
Basically, proper chipsets are coming. I found the hardware selection rather strange too.
I got through about a dozen pages and there wasn’t anything in TH’s review worth reading. All I wanted to know was if the age of 64-bit computing was now a consumer thing and what I could expect about a workstation.
Show me f*-ing benchmarks and tell me if it spanked the Itanium or not and is worth thinking about as a workstation. That’s what I’m interested in. Not graphics about die configuration and whatever. God. I gave up. Stopped reading.
Tom’s hardware has finally either gone so commercial that they plan to bore us with dozens of pages that just commercialize the site or they just don’t care that they are boring us by having to visit dozens of pages with two paragraphs of crap to get to the two or three pages we really want to read.
Vic
Hah, I think you are right on that one!
Funny that AMD would diss on apple though. What’s the point to pissing off a potential customer.
More likely AMD is worried about something from apple. But who knows.
I do think the apple/AMD comparison is interesting in this respect: AMD is losing hundreds of millions a quarter but hardly anybody questions their “future” while apple’s is constantly questioned and it’s making some money.
>More likely AMD is worried about something from apple. But who knows.
Mac Xserve’s with IBM 970s? Assuming they are on the near horizon…
i like apple AND i like amd.
too bad i won’t see the two together…but ah well, i can appreciate both separately.
even if their leaders are a bit wacko, over the top.
The onboard memory controller of the Opteron can be disabled and a northbridge type system used instead.
There are precious few details of what Nvidia has done with their “one-chip” nForce3. It may be that the system that was discussed is limited to 4 DIMMs because of other design issues, not the capacity of the Opteron memory controller (which can handle 8 DIMMs).
My main point is that I hope more Opteron motherboards are available that support the full 8 DIMMs per processor. It may be that Nvidia’s reference design does not and I am disappointed in that design choice.
The stuff I’ve read about the nForce3 Pro says that it is just a combined AGP bridge and southbridge. It doesn’t have a memory controller and it doesn’t have onboard video. Nvidia is targeting workstations with these chips. They are hoping that customers will use a Quadro (or at least a GeforceFX) with these chips.
check it out at…
http://www.bjorn3d.com/_preview.php?articleID=268
The choice of the number of DIMM slots is entirely up to the motherboard manufacturer. These Opterons have 2 DDR-SRAM channels. DDR-SRAM isn’t considered very stable with >2 DIMMs per channel. So, for a 1P system you will have 2-4 DIMM slots (probably 4 generally). 2P systems will have 4-8 slots. Some manufacturers are providing 8 so that memory may be upgraded easily and uniformly. Other manufacturers are providing 6 slots (cheaper for MB makers) which is less than ideal.
Ace’s Hardware had a REALLY good article about the Opteron. It is worth repeating (from that article) that NUMA kernel enhancements (in Windows 2003 Server and the upcoming Linux 2.6 kernel) should significantly improve performance for the Opteron (under both 32-bit and 64-bit code).
BTW, I don’t think AMD is worried about Apple servers. Apple is a niche and will probably always be a niche (though they aren’t going away either). IBM, on the other hand, could decide to do something with the 970 that could hurt Opteron (mid-end Linux servers).
I doubt the are worried about the 970 in their market. The Opteron is good because of its x86 support. That’s the strenght of Opteron, providing a convenient upgrade path.
Here’s a server motherboard with 8 DIMM slots.
http://www.rioworks.com/HDAMA.htm
I would have appreciated a benchmark with a videocard like the ATI Fire GL 8700 or the 3Dlabs Wildcat III 6110. What was the point of using a gamer’s card for this kind of test ?
Would using another graphics card have made a difference? I don’t think so. Most of the benchmarks run were CPU/Memory subsystem intensive anyway.
How did they run a Radeon 9700 Pro on the Newisys system, if it doesn’t have an AGP port. The test setup clearly states that all systems run 9700 Pro as the video card. The Newisys has integrated Trident Blade graphics. Would that have made a diffrence in the rendering tests? I don’t do rendering, so I don’t know.
By “they” I was referring to the Tom’s Hardware review.
The launch was not a paper launch. The chips are availiable now, they have started shipping. It will take a month or so for the vendors to make available the systems using the Opterons.