[mythtv-users] Absolutely OT, but I want to hear what you guys think

[Nick]

On 8/13/05, Matt Hannan <matthannan1 at cox.net> wrote:
> I've been following this email list for a couple of years now, so I am
> not like just popping in and trolling, but I am looking for opinions on
> CPU choices for a new laptop.
> 
> I am completely facsinated by the idea of running that developer's
> version of Mac OSX on an x86 platform, but it requires a CPU with SSE2.
> I am having a hard time finding info on what CPU (some P-IV's and some
> Athlon64's, but no specifics) has this SSE3.
> 
> Here is a link to OSX on x86, in case you live upnder a rock and have
> not heard about it yet:
> http://www.uneasysilence.com/os-x-proven-hacked-and-running-on-an-ordinary-pc/
> 
> As I want a laptop, my choices are pretty much P-IV-M or Athlon64.
> Here is a quote from the page I linked to:
> 
> [quote]
> First of all, I think your CPU needs at LEAST sse2.
> For rosetta and to get itunes and other ppc apps working, you need sse3.
> My vaio has a Pentuim M, so no rosetta for me.
> Everything else works.
> I'm posting this from the OS X x86 port of Firefox Wink.
> [/quote]
> 
> The thing is, once I am past the "Whoa! I am running OSX on my x86
> laptop!!!" stage, I am going to load a Linux distro (SUSE 9.3, more than
> likely) on it and call it a day...once MythTV is running as a frontend
> on it. So, maybe this in't so OT after all! All my computing needs
> eventually come back to MythTV!
> 
> So, can anyone help a brother out with info on what CPU's run SSE3? If
> the P-IV-M (running at 1GHz) in this guys article does not have SSE2,
> does that mean that P-IV-M's of today do not have SSE3?

A 2 second search of intel.com brought up this page:

http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/cs-001650.htm

A similar search of amd.com brought up these pages:

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_10220_10221%5E11029,00.html
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_8826_9014,00.html

Would seem current 90nm A64/P4 processors have support for SSE3. Note
the AMD Sempron does not have support, but the CeleronD does. Would
also seem the Pentium M processors do not have SSE3 support, only
SSE2.

My laptop running a Pentium-M 745 1.8GHz CPU returns the following
/proc/cpuinfo:

processor       : 0
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 13
model name      : Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.80GHz
stepping        : 6
cpu MHz         : 598.292
cache size      : 2048 KB
fdiv_bug        : no
hlt_bug         : no
f00f_bug        : no
coma_bug        : no
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 2
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr mce cx8 mtrr pge mca cmov pat
clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss tm pbe est tm2
bogomips        : 1182.37


HTH,
Nick