BestBuy.com jumping the gun a little? (P4 system advertised)

[OuTpaTienT]

Too bad it's an HP. But heck, it's actually not a bad price considering it's the first P4 system I've seen advertised. Notice however that they are not currently taking orders for it.

<A HREF="http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11037760&m=488&cat=490&scat=491" TARGET=_blank>Hewlett-Packard Pavilion Computer
with Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 1.4GHz</A>

[Dputiger]

&lt;gag&gt; $2100 with no monitor and onboard video? Oh please.

Plus...look at that RDRAM type..PC600...the WORST RDRAM in existence. This stuff can't even hit SDRAM benchmarks.

At best, even with the P4's dual channel, the PC600 system will be stuck on 2.4 gigabytes a second--only just faster than DDR-SDRAM and carrying the ultra-high latency that DDR-SDRAM easily avoids.

Screw that system. For a good one you need PC800 RAM and a decent (at least a GTS) video card.

So....can we say 2600-2700 dollars?

[SoopaStar]

I work for best buy. I like them. And besides the kick *** Micron millenia's we sell (well...the cases are kick ***!), the HP's are my second favorite--only the high end ones though. I work in the PC upgrades department so I see the guts of many of these machines. Hp has some nifty ideas in case building (PLEASE LOOSE THE DOOR THO!!). They don't put much thought into air-flow either (which is why I love the Micron cases)

Paul

[SoopaStar]

Oh yeah, my main point of this post was the BS that intel claims with that 400mhz bus. It is actually 4 seperate 100mhz busses. I think calling that 400mhz is a little deceptive.

Paul

[Dputiger]

If the bus functions like a 400 Mhz bus its no more false than calling a 133 Mhz DDR bus a 266 Mhz bus. Total functional speed is what's important, not technical accuracy (at least to the consumer).

[voogru]

No, you don't need to feed it plutonium. But, after you behold the blistering power of this HP Pavilion computer with its new Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 1.4GHz, you'll wonder. This ultrafast processor sports a robust 400MHz frontside bus that allows for blazing transfer speeds and makes it perfect for resource-sapping applications. Watch in awe as MP3s download more quickly and graphics flow more smoothly. This home computing data smasher also features a 60GB hard drive, 128MB RDRAM and CD-RW and DVD drives. Get 1.4GHz of performance, without the need for nuclear fission.

Liars!

Heres the Truth!

No, you don't need to feed it plutonium. But, after you behold the blistering power of this HP Pavilion computer with its new Intel® Pentium® processor 1.4MHz, you'll wonder. This ultrafast processor sports a robust 400KHz frontside bus that allows for blazing transfer speeds and makes it perfect for resource-sapping applications. Watch in awe as Dos will download more quickly and graphics flow more smoothly. This home computing data smasher also features a 60MB hard drive, 128KB EDORAM and FD-RW and CD drives. Get 1.4MHz of performance, without the need for nuclear fission.

heheheh!!

-voogru

[This message has been edited by voogru (edited 11-15-2000).]

[This message has been edited by voogru (edited 11-15-2000).]

[Warthog]

hehe...I wonder how they got the mp3 dl speed thing out of a better processor...

I hate HP. Them and Compaq are right below AOL and Macs on the Hate Scale.

Warthog

[Savant]

sounds like warthog's got things in about the right order http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

[LittleKing]

Right on Dputiger,
AMD had been doing that for awhile now and it doesn't seem like AMD fans have complained about it. In fact, many have held that number in high regard and keep throwing it back at Intel. Well the tides have turned and now because AMD's bus is less than Intel's, they are taking notice and are complaining about that it is deceptive when all along AMD has been doing the same thing. I find it a little hypocritical.

LK

[OuTpaTienT]

Oh get off your high horse. Just because one guy, who obviously isn't clear on the concept, says something about the 400mhz bus you're ready to condem all AMD fans as hyprocrits? You sound just a bit spiteful buddy.

If Intel's 400mhz bus is truly equivalent to a true 400mhz bus, then what's the big deal?

Now if it's just moving the same amount of data via 4 100mhz buses, then that in NOT the same. But if it's doing it by way of quad-data rate technology, then that would be truly identical to a 400mhz bus. Just like the Athlon DDR100mhz bus is truly identical to a 200mhz bus.

[Dputiger]

As I recall, the Pentium IV uses a quad-pumped 100 Mhz bus for a 400 Mhz total.

And let's not anybody get upset. The P4's bus is just as valid as the Athlon's. And besides, bus speed isn't everything, anymore than processor speed is, or else RDRAM running at PC800 (that IS 800 Mhz) would've crushed SDRAM and even DDR RAM running at a mere 133 and 266 Mhz. Obviously this didn't happen.

[CMonster]

'This ultrafast processor sports a robust 400MHz frontside bus that
allows for blazing temperatures and massive airflow requirements makes it necessary to wear hearing protection and perfect for sapping kilowats from the power company.'... is more like it

[Dputiger]

The AMD bus moves at 100 or 133 Mhz DDR, meaning two operations are sent every clock-cycle.

I can't imagine a motherboard having two actual busses, much less four. That would be an architectural nightmare. So the P4 uses 1, quad-pumped, 400 Mhz bus.

[SoopaStar]

400 MHz System Bus -- This advanced, split-transaction, deeply pipelined system bus delivers three times the bandwidth of the Intel® Pentium® III processor system bus. It has 128-byte lines with 64-byte accesses (32-byte lines on the previous generation). This provides a 3.2 gigabyte transfer speed between the Pentium 4 processor and the memory controller and is the highest bandwidth desktop system bus available.
Soo....I guess we will just have to wait for the official benchmarks.

Paul

[SoopaStar]

Isn't the AMD bus running at a true 200mhz, not two x 100? If I recall from my Intel training (although beer was involved at the training..so I may not http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif ), not all applications will use the 4 pipes at once. I'm not all knowledgeable on busses (Although I did ride a big yellow one back in the day to high school...), but I personally dont feel that it is a true 400 mhz. If you have one instruction that has to be completed, which would deliver the data fastest, one 100mhz bus or one 400mhz bus? That is my thought. I don't think it would split that 1 instuction into four parts. As I recall also, the intel rep stated that it would most likely only get used on graphics intensive apps (major photoshop users) and 3D gamers looking to squeeze that last bit of juice from their processor.

Paul