[rescue] This Just In: HP to buy Compaq

[Kurt Huhn]

> Ken Hansen writes:
>  >
>  > But the real find was a PPro 200 system
>
> Okay, this time I'll bite. What's so great about the PPro that makes
> it better than other Intel chips? Are they still worth getting nowadays?
>

Well, performance-wise, they're not as great as some of the chips out these
days.  However, the PPro is still an excellent and *very* viable chip for
all sorts of CPU intensive stuff.  You won't get *incredible* performance,
but you will get *solid* and *consistent* performance.

They run relatively cool (as far as intel processors go), don't require
strange cooling fans (a heatsink and some measure of airflow through the
case is usually fine), they usually have a good amount of on-chip cache
memory, the cache runs at core speed, a 180mhz is essentially a 200Mhz (good
if you bought a 180 :), not as sensitive to heat as other processors, are
low-profile (makes custom cases easy), will run all day without a single
hiccup.

Yes, other Intel chips will do the same, but the PPro is the yardstick of
quality that other chips are measured by.  The PPRo was the first "quality"
chip that intel produced - that made it possible for Intel x86 to compete in
the server and graphic/engineering workstations arenas.  The PPro can go
into MP systems too - I'm not positive, but I think PPros can be configured
in up to 8-way with the right motherboard.

All in all, the PPro is a very flexible and configurable chip.

That, and these chips are now very inexpensive.  I recently bought a pair at
$29 per, and now the price is nearly half that at some places (on sale).  I
recall when these chips first came out - they cost in the neighborhood of
$2000 if you had friends at  the store...

Kurt