On Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 1:28 PM, Ted Hilts <
thilts@mcsnet.ca> wrote:
> Can someone enlighten me regarding my confusion with the term AMD.
>
> 1, I know that the term AMD (American Micro Devices) is supposed to be a
> 'second source' for Intel 32bit and 64bit microprocessors. But it seems
> based on what I have read on this relationship between AMD and Intel that
> there is controversy, legal actions, competition, and architectural
> differences regarding the manufacture and selling of these microprocessors.
> So this suggests to me that AMD is not really a 'second source' (a
> licensed second manufacturing and selling source supplier of identical
> products as designed and manufactured by another company).
>
> 2. Is there any significant architectural differences between the products
> manufactured by these two companies???
>
> 3. I ask the above question because it seems that the chips produced by one
> seem not be be plug in capable with the chips produced by the other -- it
> seems that the boards produced for one are different that the CPU boards
> produced for the other???
>
> 4. I also ask the above question because over the last 2 years software
> problems "seem" to occur around one but not the other???
>
> 5. Also, there is a non-i386 computer containing the AMD acronymn listed
> with ARM and a dozen other non i386 computers listed by Debian. I
> understand this second listing of non i386 machines (one example being the
> Motorola 68xxx) but am confused about the AMD non i386 machines place in
> this listing.
>
> 6. How is it that (for example) the Debian i386 AMD chip (some but not all)
> are more condusive to the Debian kernel for certain kinds of operations but
> not so with the Intel chip??? I base this on Debian documentation where the
> Intel chip is not even mentioned.
> Bottom line, over the past 2 years I have been struggling with the idea of
> using the correct (if there is such a thing) microprocessor board/chip
> combination appropriate for certain operations but not at the exclusion of
> all other possible operations. Maybe I have just confused myself and every
> Intel board/chip combination is replaceable with every AMD board/chip
> combination. But this is not what vendors have been telling me. They are
> telling me that on MS Windows OS (eg: XP) I can use either the AMD
> board/chip combination or the Intel board/chip combination but the boards
> and chips are not mutually compatible - AMD chips must go into AMD boards
> and Intel chips must go into Intel boards. Also, I am being told that some
> Debian software will operate on some AMD board/chip combinations but not
> others and that this has something to do with the specific kernel where one
> Debian kernel version will not run the same (for certain operations) as
> another version.
>
> So, I am confused and frustrated. I used to think that Debian kernels would
> all run without exception on either AMD or Intel board/chip combinations and
> the odd quirk in a kernel version would be resolved with a newer version. I
> was also told that the chip sets (including the MP chip(s) had different
> parameters and an Intel chip set combination was not compatible with an AMD
> chip set combination thus making the boards non compatible with one another.
> In fact, I am told, it is these other chips (including and working with the
> MP chip) that account for many differences some of which play havoc with
> certain Linux kernels. I am also told that indiscriminate use of a Debian
> kernel may bring problems that occur on an Intel system or vice-versa for a
> AMD system.
>
> Is there a CHART that matches Debian kernels to tested and acceptable AMD
> and Intel board/chip set matches while indicating limitations, constraints,
> and possible special operations for both???
>
> I have seen this same question (in a variety of forms) asked on this forum
> as well as others but I haven't seen a complete answer.
>
> Thanks in advance, for any comments, technical references, etc. == Ted Hilts
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