Re: 'Athlon clusters might still be the way to go, though... '
AThlon clusters ?
If these are indeed available, they are clusters of single CPU nodes.
As for ITanium and the heavy FPU requirements you have, the FPU hardware inside the ITanium is quite robust - checkout the specs.
There are 128 Double Precision FPU registers inside the ITanium.
The question is, then, will a 733/800 MHz ITanium FPU outperform a 1.2 GHz AthWiper.
Intel, Compaq, HP and Microsoft all have ITanium development centers. I suggest you contact them about your software requirements and see if they can provide an ITanium port of your software - which you can then run at the development centers.
That way, you can generate your own benchmarks for evaluation purposes.
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Thursday October 12, 12:50 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Compaq Computer Corporation
Compaq Offers First Free Online Test Drive of IA64 Systems; Compaq Partners Can Try Out New Technology Behind a Secure Firewall
HOUSTON, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ - news) is the world's first platform vendor to offer the information technology community the opportunity to try out the emerging Intel Itanium 64-bit processor technology via Compaq's groundbreaking New Technologies Test Drive program.
Compaq New Technologies Test Drive is a year-old program that allows visitors worldwide to sample Compaq's industry-leading Alpha and ProLiant server technology online for free. Further, member companies of the Compaq Solutions Alliance (www.compaq.com/csa) can securely access behind a firewall Compaq's IA64 ProLiant Server and other Compaq systems, for in-depth testing of legacy code and development work. The popular Test Drive website (http://www.testdrive.compaq.com) has generated more than four million hits as visitors have tried out more than 40,000 ``test drives'' of Compaq and partner products.
``This is the only Web site where developers can, without charge, access an IA64 system running Linux,'' said Matti Virtanen, Compaq Vice President for Worldwide Distribution Channels. ``We will also continue to add value for our CSA members by incorporating additional operating systems, allowing them to work securely on the IA64 behind a firewall and giving them a competitive advantage with this new platform.''
About Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is the largest supplier of computing systems in the world. Compaq designs, develops, manufactures, and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, and communications products, commercial desktop and portable products, and consumer PCs.
Compaq products and services are sold in more than 200 countries directly to businesses, through a network of authorized Compaq marketing partners, and directly to businesses and consumers through Compaq's e-commerce Web site at compaq.com. Compaq markets its products and services primarily to customers from the business, home, government, and education sectors. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products and services are available at compaq.com.
Compaq and the Compaq logo Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. This financial discussion contains forward- looking statements based on current expectations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: delays in the implementation of changes in delivery models, component shortages, increased competitive environment and pricing pressures, delays in product rollout schedules, slow acceptance for new form factors, changes in product, customer and geographic sales mix, employee retention, the financial condition of resellers, delays in new systems implementation, operational inefficiencies related to sales cycles, equity investment volatility, emerging market political or economic instability and disruptions related to restructuring actions. Further information on the factors that could affect Compaq's financial results is included in Compaq's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including the latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and the latest quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
SOURCE: Compaq Computer Corporation
Paul |
