[rescue] The best 'rescue' workstation

[Mike Meredith]

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 09:23:24 -0500, Zach Lowry wrote:
> Interesting. Well, I should ask this then. Since this is replacing a
> Dual 1GHz PC, shouldn't we add 'slow' to that list? I realize you said
> speedy in the pros column, but I'm under the impression that a Ultra
> 60 will be somewhat slower than my 1GHz PC. Ultra 60s top out at
> 450MHz, correct?

You can't compare the speed of the system just by looking at how fast
someone is spinning the crank handle ... different CPUs do a different
amount of work in a single 'revolution'. And CPU speed isn't system
speed ... my Octane frequently seems faster than my Blade2000 although
according the SPEC CPU benchmarks, the Blade should stomp the Octane
into the ground (probably because of the framebuffer).

Yes a dual PIII system will be faster than an Ultra60, but probably not
by as much as you might expect. On the other hand an Ultra60 will be
more stable, and degrade less under load than a PIII. As an example, I'm
often running a distributed.net client on my Octane, Sun, and PC laptop.
I usually stop the client on the laptop when I'm actively using it as it
slows down interactive use. I don't notice the difference on the Octane,
or Sun.