Intel Core i7, AMD Phenom II Benchmarks On Linux

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Intel Core i7, AMD Phenom II Benchmarks On Linux

If you have been wanting to look at Linux performance numbers for the Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom II processors, be sure to stop by Phoronix Global. While the PR departments at Intel and AMD seem to have no interest at all in their latest desktop processors on Linux, many users of this new hardware have provided their own benchmarks courtesy of the Phoronix Test Suite. All of the Phenom II and Core i7 results can be found by searching for them from this page...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=NzA4OQ

[rotarychainsaw]

Darn, I beat an i7 in something but it didn't let me upload it to the global site (presumably because I hit Y to look at it online before uploading)


http://www.rotarychainsaw.nopistons.com/pics/screens/Screenshot_Phoronix_thumb.jpg (http://www.rotarychainsaw.nopistons.com/pics/screens/Screenshot_phoronix.jpg)

[lem79]

Very apples to oranges comparing results on PTS Global. Michael, perhaps you can buy a Phenom II as well, configure your i7 and PII as closely as possible, then run PTS.

I'm not sure if it makes any difference, but the Core i7 having triple channel means the i7s usually end up with 6Gb of RAM vs 4Gb for the rest of the CPUs (for now at least). I guess one needs to take care not to use more than 4Gb of RAM during testing, since the systems with 4Gb will incur a virtual memory speed penalty. Also, 6Gb allows for more disk caching. Does this matter in the 2Gb file encryption tests on subsequent runs?

[bugmenot]

It will be fairer to use an AM3 motherboard, once they're available, so you can compare exactly the same RAM between each.

[lem79]

That still doesn't change triple vs dual channel. Current Phenoms and Opterons only have a dual channel controller. I don't see how you can give a Phenom 6Gb of RAM and still have a dual channel configuration, unless there's such a thing as 3Gb DIMMs?

[deanjo]

That still doesn't change triple vs dual channel. Current Phenoms and Opterons only have a dual channel controller. I don't see how you can give a Phenom 6Gb of RAM and still have a dual channel configuration, unless there's such a thing as 3Gb DIMMs?

1 2Gigger and 1 1 Gigger in each memory bank will give you dual channel 6 Gigs.

[lem79]

Deanjo you're right. Must be all this stuff about matched pairs of sticks.. good marketing eh? :)

[deanjo]

Deanjo you're right. Must be all this stuff about matched pairs of sticks.. good marketing eh? :)
As long as memory bank A and B are configured the same they are considered matched. Having two different capacity sticks in the same channel is not an issue. The only time it would be an issue if placed the larger chips in one channel and two smaller in another channel.

[timofonic]

I would like to see a detailed i7 VS Phenom II of all them. Of course running on Linux, OpenSolaris and *BSD.

[_pma]

Does anyone have numbers about the total memory bandwidth of core i7 and phenom II.

So far, I have seen numbers only from single threaded tests and I wonder if the relative behavior of intel/amd solution is kept the same with those new processors.

On the older barcelona/penryn architectures, I have noticed that the memory bandwidth is mostly independent from the number of threads on intel solutions while you get about 3 times larger bandwidth using four threads instead of one on a phenom.

I'm especially wondering if, with the new integrated memory controller, the memory bandwidth of core i7 is growing with the number of trheads has it does for phenom.

[Hephasteus]

Dual channel made huge improvements in speed with DDR. DDR2 is basically DDR with dual channel on one stick. Dual channel DDR2 makes very slight improvements. DDR3 is DDR2 dual channel on one stick. Dual channel DDR3 doesn't matter at all. Triple channel DDR3 doesn't matter at all. If AMD boards adopt DDR3 most of it's more informed consumers will be buying Single 4gb or 16gb memory sticks. And as I said since the AM3 chips have dual memory controllers and if consumers get the information they need the most popular AM3 boards will probably come with 2 ddr2 slots and 2 ddr3 slots.

People are experimenting with using ATOM's in server farms to save electricity and Intel is winning a game that less and less people are playing any more.