Off-Topic > Off-Topic - Tiny Core Lounge
25 dollar computer coming
curaga:
Oh, I'm not saying this isn't useful. Just shouldn't have too high expectations; I've personally run a 800Mhz single core Cortex-A8, it is not as good as some were saying, and it's much better than the one used in the raspberry pi (both in Mhz and in generation).
vinceASPECT:
--- Quote from: curaga on July 21, 2011, 12:16:46 PM ---
--- Quote ---700 mhz on ARM is equivalent to about 1 ghz + in intel terms.
--- End quote ---
More like 150-200 Mhz. It couldn't hold a candle to an Atom, and atoms suck.
--- End quote ---
really?....i was led to believe that arm were good...and faster than intel at
lower mGhz ratings.
Rich:
Hi vinceASPECT
--- Quote ---700 mhz on ARM is equivalent to about 1 ghz + in intel terms.
--- End quote ---
That sounds like the kind of meaningless dribble a marketing department would spout when trying
to push a product. You are basically comparing a RISC processor to a CISC processor without
stating what the measurement is based on. If you use a benchmark that measures MIPs, then it is
quite possible that the ARM chip will produce higher numbers, however, that does not make it the
faster processor. It just means it can execute more instructions per second but does not tell you
how much work is actually done. While there are many benchmarks out there, most, if not all, will not
give you meaningful results for two basic reasons.
1. Certain tests will favor one processor or the other depending on any special capabilities it may have.
2. A benchmark is not the actual end application you will be running.
A blanket statement that processor A is faster than processor B can not be taken at face value since
it is application specific. The only honest measure of speed is to code the end program for each
processor taking advantage of any special instructions they may have, utilizing any built in hardware
support, making optimum use of any caching capability, and timing how long it takes to execute. Even
with all of this, the end result will still be dependent on the design of the board the processor is
mounted on and the hardware it is connected to.
While far from being a complete treatment of this subject, the bottom line is that a generic statement
that one processor is faster than another is not meaningful.
SvOlli:
--- Quote from: curaga on July 21, 2011, 12:16:46 PM ---
--- Quote ---700 mhz on ARM is equivalent to about 1 ghz + in intel terms.
--- End quote ---
More like 150-200 Mhz. It couldn't hold a candle to an Atom, and atoms suck.
--- End quote ---
It depends on the ARM implementation used: the processor of the PandaBoard runs at 1GHz and is more than 20% faster than an 1.6GHz Atom. Most ARMs miss a hardware floating point unit, which drops performace drastically when used in a general purpose environment. The SheevaPlug is a good example for this. It performs well as a server, but sucks if you need floating point, being 10 times slower than the PandaBoard, though running at 1.2GHz.
You guys here hold apples vs oranges and ask "which one's bigger?" where it depends on the fruit itself, rather than the sort of the fruit. Any general comparison of the archtectures is bullshit, there's not even such a thing as a rough guess.
The 25 Bucks System reminds me a lot of the BeagleBoard, sharing the same big problems: not enough interfaces. To have a system that's of generic use, you'll need a network interface, 1x or 2x usb for keyboard/mouse, mass storage connector (additional usb or sata, onboard flash will not hold a complete full featured desktop) and a way to connect a monitor. Connecting hids, mass storage and network all via an usb hubs sucks in both performance and usablity. Believe me, I've been there, it was like back in the C64 days: annoying wires everywhere.
So here's my recommendation: hand of that 25$ thing. You'll hack it for a week and then drop it for it's disadvantages. If you wanna go for an ARM system go out and by a PandaBoard. Yes, it costs about 5 time as much (counting $10 for the costs for usb-hub and usb network stick), but leaves you with a system you wanna use. Own experience.
curaga:
The Pandaboard has a dualcore Cortex-A9, just about latest tech. Yes, I'd expect that one to beat an Atom ;)
Note that my "it" referred to the raspberry cpu, not arm in general.
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