Chip architecture comparisons

Post by **Synkronos** » 13 Apr 2003, 22:58

Hey all. Does anyone know of a website (or sites) that will give me fairly detailed info on chip architecture for the Intel, AMD and Mac CPUs? There are lots of arguments going around (irl as well as in forum) along the lines of ´AMD is better! No Intel! No AMD! No, actually both of you are wrong, it´s Mac! NO!!!´ and I personally don´t actually know what the differences in the chips are.
 
 I am an Electrical Engineer (well, partway there at least) so I can take a heavily techy site. I want a site that I can read tho, not an explanation from someone on the forum (although I am sure someone *cough* Bondi *cough* would be able to tell me all I need to know), not bcos I think ppl on the forums are dodgy, but bcos I want a source that I can point friends to and they won´t go ´Oh, that´s a forum, that´s just some dude telling what he thinks´.
 
 I have tried Googling the query, but it comes up with too much junk that is irrelevant.

naughty · Post by **naughty** » 13 Apr 2003, 23:27

synkronos there are hardware reviews and tech previews in sites such as anandtech and toms hardware - get to those first and check them out - then when you have the basic understanding then you can go on to some of the more technical sites

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 14 Apr 2003, 20:32

â„¢Â©Â®

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 15 Apr 2003, 00:31

â„¢Â©Â®

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 15 Apr 2003, 00:36

â„¢Â©Â®

Post by **Synkronos** » 15 Apr 2003, 01:03

Bondi, thanks again for a very informative post <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_smile.gif"> The CISC/RISC comparison is not (mainly) what I was talking about, and I know how CISC/RISC work already and a lot of the differences inherent in the two designs. You have however filled the gaps in my knowledge <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_smile.gif">
 
 I didn´t know Macs were running RISC - it´s extremely difficult finding tech specs for macs, since the Apple site itself doesn´t even list processors as a product, only computers <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif"> I have been speaking extensively to a friend of mine who works on an IBM RISC machine. He is not, however, all that technical. I remember in ´Hackers´ (the film with Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie, phooooweeee!!!) when they see the new RISC laptop and make some comment about how RISC will change the face of computing - how wrong they were <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif"> Although they should have been right.
 
 The info I am more looking for is a comparison between everything an AMD chip does and everything an Intel chip does - Mac I just added in as another chip I´d like to find out about. IPC, route prediction, all that kinda stuff, and who does it better, faster, leaner. I have d/led the datasheets from both the AMD and Intel sites (Apple doesn´t have data sheets, apparently standard Mac users couldn´t handle them being on the site <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif"> You are not a standard Mac user btw, Bondi). I have still to read thru them, bcos they are _HUGE_. Tx for the links, I will check them out.
 
 Well, here´s hoping that I can hold a more knowledgeable discuccion about comparitive chip design in the future <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif">
 
 Synkronos [starting on the orange juice and stockpiling the Vs for tomorrow]

Post by **Synkronos** » 15 Apr 2003, 01:04

<a href="mailto:D@mn">D@mn</a> I use too many smileys in my text. Comes from hanging around on IRC too much <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif">

Post by **Synkronos** » 15 Apr 2003, 13:42

Been reading those sites you posted - I get a real feeling of deja vu - I get a real feeling of deja vu - when I do. Almost as if I have read them before <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif"> Well, guess I now know where you get all your info from. iGeek has a _heavy_ Mac slant tho, think I will read Ars Technica as well, since it has a heavy Intel slant. Now, where to find somewhere with an AMD slant <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif">
 
 iGeek is not quite as technical as I would like. It is giving me a slightly firmer grasp of the concepts behind processor architecture, but I would like more concrete comparisons, factual number comparisons <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_smile.gif">

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 15 Apr 2003, 14:53

â„¢Â©Â®

Post by **Synkronos** » 15 Apr 2003, 15:09

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 He tries to correct the slant, not slant it the other way
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 Ah, I feel you have hit the nail on the head there - the other articles are Intel slanted, so, to ´correct´ the slant, he adds his own. I am not dissing, and it´s nice having a Mac slant to read, but it is a slant none the less <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif">

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 15 Apr 2003, 15:36

â„¢Â©Â®

Post by **Synkronos** » 15 Apr 2003, 16:55

Erm... the Ars Technica site is _far_ from technical - I am finding it really simplistic *sigh*
 
 And wrong as well... "Remember our 2^32 = 4.3 billion number? That 4.3 billion bytes is about 4GB." It´s not ´about´, it´s exactly 4 Gigs. Silly rabbit!

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 15 Apr 2003, 17:11

â„¢Â©Â®

Post by **Synkronos** » 15 Apr 2003, 17:14

Yeah, in Rosebank, work in Obs at a web design company.

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 15 Apr 2003, 17:40

â„¢Â©Â®

Post by **Synkronos** » 16 Apr 2003, 10:00

<IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_lol.gif"> Yes, at Wireframe. Well, technically the sister company Infosight, but we are in the same offices and work on a lot of the same projects. You know ppl from here?

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 16 Apr 2003, 12:14

â„¢Â©Â®

Post by **Synkronos** » 16 Apr 2003, 15:44

Who, Paul? Yeah, perhaps we should. Can argue about Mac vs PC all day long <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif">

bondi · Post by **bondi** » 16 Apr 2003, 15:58

â„¢Â©Â®

Post by **Synkronos** » 16 Apr 2003, 16:28

<IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_lol.gif"> I am pretty much only free on weekends, and even then not always <IMG SRC="images/forum/smilies/icon_razz.gif">