A word about CPU performance (hopefully the last one)

If you check out the current super computer rankings you'll find that the top G5 score (i.e IBM PPC 970) is currently held by a system with 3564 2.2Ghz CPUs at a max of 31363 GigaFlops. The highest Operon scores (apparently a CPU that is far superior according to some around here) happen to be from a system with 2560 2.2Ghx Opterons with a score of 11264 GigaFlops.

I'll leave it for the readers to do the math.

Amen-Moses

AMEN! Hehe good pun... :black:

But really everthing is so bias these days...

Only a Mac-Addict could come up with this. This situation doesn't apply to anyone in these forums, as nobody in here is in the market for a super computer.

Supercomputers are designed specifically for the application they are going to run. It is true that IBM currently builds the best super computers. Never once have I tried to argue that IBM isn't a good company, and doesn't produce good products.

The fact sill remains that a single Opteron 150 is a faster processor than a Dual G5 2.5Ghz system. An a more evenly matched Dual G5 2.5Ghz doesn't even compete in the same leage as a Dual Opteron 250 system. If your going to brag about your Mac, at least have the intelligence to brag about something it is good at!

*** On a side note, I would assume that these forums were a place where Mac users offered eachother advice, and even helped new users who were planning on switching get the information they needed. Threads like this are nothing more than Spam. They offer no help to people...all they do is enhance the snobbish image associated with Mac users.***

I personally wouldn't agree with the single Opteron dual G5 comparison. Single single, I'd say yeah, the Opteron would probably take it. but you may want to note that in the supercomputers, there are way more G5s involved than Opterons. A thousand more, in fact.

Amen-Moses said:

If you check out the current super computer rankings you'll find that the top G5 score (i.e IBM PPC 970) is currently held by a system with 3564 2.2Ghz CPUs at a max of 31363 GigaFlops. The highest Operon scores (apparently a CPU that is far superior according to some around here) happen to be from a system with 2560 2.2Ghx Opterons with a score of 11264 GigaFlops.

I'll leave it for the readers to do the math.

Amen-Moses

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I bet both supercomputers would get pretty decent framerates in Doom3.

Thud said:

I bet both supercomputers would get pretty decent framerates in Doom3.

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Hear, hear....If they even have a monitor.

Opterons and G5s

Avid6eek said:

The fact sill remains that a single Opteron 150 is a faster processor than a Dual G5 2.5Ghz system. An a more evenly matched Dual G5 2.5Ghz doesn't even compete in the same leage as a Dual Opteron 250 system. If your going to brag about your Mac, at least have the intelligence to brag about something it is good at!

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http://www.fftw.org/speed/ (Keep in mind that single-precison results are acellerated by AltiVec on the G5; for "fair" comparisons, look at the double-precison ops which use the FPUs of both chips.)

http://www.barefeats.com/g5op.html

Of course there are plenty of sites that show the Opteron wiping the floor with the G5. The two chips are very evently matched. Both are modern, 64-bit CPUs that carry very little legacy baggage yet are fully backwards-compatible. Which one is faster depends on the dataset, compiler, and phase of the moon. And, of course, on whether your a Mac zealot or a PC troll.

So give it a rest, okay? Nobody ever switched becaue the other guy had a faster CPU. Nobody cares. We buy the fastest machine we can afford that runs the software we want to use. And OS X doesn't run on an Opteron.

There are way too many factors for accurate comparisons really. One thing to consider is that Mac OS X needs not waste CPU etc on defense apps like virus scan. Wow do I enjoy that aspect as I love the internet vastly more than gaming!

ohh my gooodness.. u guys need to sush about virus scanning..
i love both platforms.. but its not like im constantly in a quarrel with virus's.. idiots who goto porn sites and click on all the spyware are the ones who get virus's .. people who know how to use there pc and have lavasoft adware on there comp, are usually fine.
just gotta watch out for those landmine popup spywares.

technologist said:

http://www.fftw.org/speed/ (Keep in mind that single-precison results are acellerated by AltiVec on the G5; for "fair" comparisons, look at the double-precison ops which use the FPUs of both chips.)

http://www.barefeats.com/g5op.html

Of course there are plenty of sites that show the Opteron wiping the floor with the G5. The two chips are very evently matched. Both are modern, 64-bit CPUs that carry very little legacy baggage yet are fully backwards-compatible. Which one is faster depends on the dataset, compiler, and phase of the moon. And, of course, on whether your a Mac zealot or a PC troll.

So give it a rest, okay? Nobody ever switched becaue the other guy had a faster CPU. Nobody cares. We buy the fastest machine we can afford that runs the software we want to use. And OS X doesn't run on an Opteron.

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I agree... why do people always want to brag how fast their CPU is?! It doesn't actually matter if the G5 is faster than the Opteron or vice versa.

To all Mac fanboys and PC trolls:
Please stop wasting forum space with these totally useless, stupid and senseless discussions about which CPU is better/faster or whatever!! Didn't you people notice that NONE of those threads EVER gets a final answer?! It's just wasted space...

It get's really annoying...

Use your system and get happy with it...I use both, and that's ok for me...

Avalon said:

I agree... why do people always want to brag how fast their CPU is?! It doesn't actually matter if the G5 is faster than the Opteron or vice versa.

To all Mac fanboys and PC trolls:
Please stop wasting forum space with these totally useless, stupid and senseless discussions about which CPU is better/faster or whatever!! Didn't you people notice that NONE of those threads EVER gets a final answer?! It's just wasted space...

It get's really annoying...

Use your system and get happy with it...I use both, and that's ok for me...

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You are the one that keeps saying that the opposition CPUs are faster pal!

So now you have the figures, both systems doing the same job in a straight forward CPU comparison with no bias involved (neither system is based on Apple or Microsoft) and the same clock speeds and the PPC comes out way ahead of the Opteron, almost twice as fast in fact. (3000 doing 30000 GF compared to 2000 only managing 10000 to simplify the figures somewhat, scaling that to equal processors at 2000 PPCs would do 20000 GF)

So please let's have no more garbage about AMD or Intel processors, the PPC rules!

Amen-Moses

Avid6eek said:

*** On a side note, I would assume that these forums were a place where Mac users offered eachother advice, and even helped new users who were planning on switching get the information they needed. Threads like this are nothing more than Spam. They offer no help to people...all they do is enhance the snobbish image associated with Mac users.***

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Hear hear. I'm disappointed at the elitist, snobbish attitude of *some* people here.. and disappointed about some of the ignorant and misleading comments about Windows and PCs, some of which I pointed out in the 'windows users I'm crying' thread and have yet to be replied to!

Amen-Moses said:

You are the one that keeps saying that the opposition CPUs are faster pal!

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?!? I think you're referring to the wrong person...

I didn't say the Opterons where faster, neither the G5...

And by the way, a mainframe's potential is by no means comparable to a simple workstation, no matter which CPU you take...

It's not only the CPU that makes a computer fast or slow, it's all the surrounding hardware also. The same CPU in two different boards will perform differently, even running the exact same OS and software.

Anyway, no reason to continue this senseless discussion...

technologist said:

http://www.barefeats.com/g5op.html

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This is the most bias site out there in terms of PC vs Mac performance. The only thing their benchmarks are good for is comparing apples to apples. They even have benches showing the G5 gaming faster than a PC....That's a joke all in itself.

Avid6eek said:

They even have benches showing the G5 gaming faster than a PC....That's a joke all in itself.

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Um...where, exactly? You mean here? Doesn't look like the gaming benchmarks are biased in favor of the Mac to me.

Care to substantiate your claims of bias? If you can't, then perhaps you should stop calling the kettle black.

And on other sites we've still got these and this (scroll down). And dozens of sites that claim the exact opposite. The G5 is the fastest CPU for running OS X. It compares very well with the Opteron, at similar prices for similar configurations.

Gentlemen, there is no last word. This is like the Ford verses Chevy debate. Who is the fastest. There is alway another race to win.

Just enjoy the tool you have chosen to use.

technologist said:

Care to substantiate your claims of bias? If you can't, then perhaps you should stop calling the kettle black.

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Actually I was refering to a review of Halo benchmarks I was reading. I didn't bookmark the page, but I was comparing their benchmarks to a regular PC site (Anandtech, xBit Labs).

technologist said:

The G5 is the fastest CPU for running OS X.

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I would hope so...nobody is arguing that

I would agree with avid6eek and others that switching is rarely based upon processor performance. I personally swtiched for stability and media editing and I was completely aware I'd lose all my games and possibly get an inferior system processor wise. As far as which processor is faster I'd say it is almost undebatable these days with bias creeping into almost EVERYTHING. Each one is better at different things as is the OS, now THAT is what we should leave it at. This is my true stance after doing my own search up on the issue and evalutating what others have said here.

?!? I think you're referring to the wrong person...

I didn't say the Opterons where faster, neither the G5...

Yep, please accept my humble apologies. I was not looking closely enough when I posted and you are indeed someone else.

And by the way, a mainframe's potential is by no means comparable to a simple workstation, no matter which CPU you take...

Who mentioned mainframes? The top ten super computers are all clusters not mainframes.

It's not only the CPU that makes a computer fast or slow, it's all the surrounding hardware also. The same CPU in two different boards will perform differently, even running the exact same OS and software.

Granted. I'm wondering though why the people building an Opteron cluster would go to all that trouble to cripple it such that it performs at half that of a comparable G5 cluster. Maybe you can think of a reason but it's certainly got me foxed!

Anyway, no reason to continue this senseless discussion.

Sorry but when people make daft claims it sort of gets my back up.

Amen-Moses

Amen-Moses said:

If you check out the current super computer rankings you'll find that the top G5 score (i.e IBM PPC 970) is currently held by a system with 3564 2.2Ghz CPUs at a max of 31363 GigaFlops. The highest Operon scores (apparently a CPU that is far superior according to some around here) happen to be from a system with 2560 2.2Ghx Opterons with a score of 11264 GigaFlops.

I'll leave it for the readers to do the math.

Amen-Moses

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The G5 has 1,000 more CPUs, of course its going to be faster!