Computer & Network Questions

[TheRic]

Larry - Either he is trying to bullshit you into thinking he knows more than you, or he has no real ideal what he is talking about. Almost sounds like some kid that heard other experts talking and got things messed up / confused.

Can't help on the Sempron question much (I deal with Intel only), but pricewatch lists the most expensive Sempron cpu at under $200.

Bottom line boot him!!

[jziegler]

Larry,

Can't help too much about the Sempron thing, I'd have to send out a few emails or do some reading. But when the 64 bit line first came out, the FX series parts were high end chips. And I thought, like you, that the Sempron was low end.

As to the L2 cache thing, I've never heard of any program that has L2 cache requirements. Sure, more is better for performance, but never necessary as far as I know.

Good luck getting this resolved. Keep a close eye on this guy.

Jim

Edit:

Here's an artice I just remembered I saw a couple of months ago. It's almost a year old, so not everything will be current, but it should give you an idea. It has information about both AMDs and Intel's processor lineups for up to that time. You can see from it what name goes with which cores.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=2418

[sacherjj]

Others are correct when they state that there is not an L2 cache limitation, other than performance. I haven't dealt with the processor design of AMD, but went pretty detailed in Intel and other's processor design in school, including designing my own 8 bit processor, from the ground up, using individual gates. This guy is full of it. Set him in his place and be careful.

[scorrpio]

This starts to look like a full-scale fraud. If you are paying this guy for new PCs, the specs should be fully laid out in the contract.

To make fully sure, pull the CPU from the socket. If it is a socket 754 (has a hole in the middle), it is definitely no FX, as those are available only in socket 939. Older FX chips also might use socket 940, but that format is considered obsolete.

Think you could snap a pic of the CPU and post it? It is possible that the guy is trying to push on you a batch of black market remarked CPUs that are cheap Semprons altered to pose as more expensive chips.

And yeah, amount of cache should not affect what can and what cannot be run on a CPU.

[jziegler]

Another quick search shows that Sempron is only in socket 754 or Socket A and Semron 64 is only Socket 754. The FX is only socket 939 (current models, at least). This is from combining the Anadtech article and a quick search on Newegg. Something definately smells funny here.

Jim

[LinuxRandal]

Thanks, everyone, you're essentially confirming exactly what I thought.

Another question:

4. Most of our existing machines are about four years old; all motherboards are identical (I built the boxes myself), with a mix of Athlon and Duron processors. My understanding -- correct me if I'm wrong -- is that the Athlon and Duron are essentially identical, the main difference being the amount of L2 cache, and that anything that will run on an Athlon will also run on a Duron, only slower. This outside consultant has told me that we need to replace our Durons because "in a couple of years it won't be able to run the newest software" but that "the Athlons are fine, no problem." Note that he's not claiming this future software will run more slowly on the Duron boxes but that it will not run at all, because of the L2 cache spec of the Duron. Crap, right?

Faster computers, allow PEOPLE, to consume more bandwidth, by doing more (things like watching video's, while downloading iso's, while streaming music over the internal network, etc.) Slower systems (still have P1's operating around here) will stall, while trying to download, and play some of this stuff.
Semperon, is what the Duron became, mainly, when it went from 32 to 64 bit. And the current batch, always tends to be slower processors (although, more then fast enough for the typical user) then the Athlon 64 in speed as well as cache.
Your older systems are used for what, exactly? Word processing, accounting, surfing, etc? When Microsoft drops support for them, you could switch them to Linux, and still use them. Newer means faster, more expensive, and sometimes, relearning, older doesn't mean won't get the job done, just not necessarily upgradeable.
As for your fixed IP's, some routers allow you to control your internet access, by MAC address (unique hardcoded address, for those who don't know). I use dhcp and use Mac address permission lists, as I have had to fix others pc's and sometimes I need to hook them up to my high speed connection for virus checking.
From what I am seeing around, Vista, whose final hardware specs aren't out yet (can change till ship date) is going to require a minimum of 1gb ram. If he tells you otherwise, have him bring in a Vista box, with the minimum hardware requirements, to show you that the Athlons will, and the Duron's won't work.

You know what you know, don't fall for sales pitches, or the "I have my diploma, but no real experience" type.
Only other thing, is please make sure you dispose of those old pc's in a usefull manor. There are ton's of nonprofits who could use them. And there are programs, like DBAN that will help scrub your old data, to cya.

[RyFitz13]

Yeah, this guy's definitely sounding suspect. The second he told you that the machines were so fast they'd knock existing machines off the LAN, he lost all credibility. What he's pulling with the Sempron / FX deal now just proves the point.

Also, just to completely clarify the switch / hub / router thing (I know you're not having LAN troubles, but I'm kinda funny about this), lemme try to clear up any confusion.

A hub is a basic piece of equipment that allows you to plug multiple computers into a shared network. It's basically the lowest-tech way currently available to network more than 2 computers. And it's all shared bandwidth - if it's a 10Mb hub, every additional computer you plug into it takes up another slice of that 10Mb. So, the more PC's hooked into a hub, the slower the network will perform.

A switch is, more or less, a more advanced hub. Again, you can plug a buncha computers into a switch. However, each computer plugged into the switch has it's own dedicated bandwidth. If it's a 10Mb switch, every new computer plugged into the switch will have its own dedicated 10Mb of bandwidth. Advanced note - if you plug in a device to either a hub or switch that's broken in such a way that it constantly pumps out garbage info onto the network, it is possible to overload the hub/switch, thus taking down the entire network segment. Not a fun experience when this happens in a big time, production network!

A router is an altogether different beast - especially in an Enterprise (read, non-home-) Network. A router is NOT an advanced form of switch. A router is a device that connects two or more disparate networks. Your cable/DSL modem is, technically speaking, a Router. Your LAN is on one side, while the ISP's network is on the other. The Router governs how information is passed (if at all) between those two networks. Most routers now incorporate firewalls that can govern exactly WHAT information passes between those networks as well.

Now, particularly in the consumer market, many routers are sold that incorporate switches. I have a netgear device at home, for instance, that combines a broadband router w/firewall and a 5-port 10/100 Ethernet switch. The switch allows my PC's to talk to eachother, while the router allows my computers to talk to the Internet. It basically puts up another security barrier between the Internet and my computer, which can then be locked down, or not, as I choose.

[LarryG]

The second he told you that the machines were so fast they'd knock existing machines off the LAN, he lost all credibility.

From the instant this guy appeared on the scene, I was uneasy. People up the ladder suggested, perhaps with some justification, that I was merely feeling threatened by an outsider invading what I saw as my turf. I allowed for that possibility and tried to stifle my unease and give him the benefit of the doubt.

But WRT his credibility, let me tell you when my BS meter hit the redline. It was when he told a nearly word-for-word version of this story to myself and one of the partners ... with him in the role of the tech support person.

For now I'm in evidence-gathering mode; that's the whole point of this thread. So far I've got quite a laundry list going.

[crokett]

For now I'm in evidence-gathering mode; that's the whole point of this thread. So far I've got quite a laundry list going.

I hope you're not using a woodworking forum as your source for computer info for this list.

For the record, several years ago I was a support tech for 8yrs. Lab tech, phone tech, network admin and field support. I personally had the cupholder call, I had the woman who washed her keyboard cause it was dusty (at least she tried to let it dry first) and I had the person who was typing S-P-A-C-E when I was trying to get him to do 'cd c:\'.

[TheRic]

That story was collected in 1997, bet he was still in High School or middle school.

Then again it does remind me of someone we had around here, several years ago. His first name isn't Jim by chance?? If it is, lock anything of value down, frisk him then throw him out on his ear. And don't believe the story's that he can hack into your network, since he barely knows how to operate a computer. Most of his stuff is black market / used / refurbished parts, dicontinued / etc.

[LarryG]

That story was collected in 1997, bet he was still in High School or middle school.

No, he's considerably older than that. Not a "Jim," either.

David: Not my ONLY source of info, no. I may be dumb, but I ain't crazy.

And I know that a lot of those tech support horror stories often have a basis in fact. This particular telling was just a little too perfect, however; and by then I already had two or three other reasons to be suspicious. Otherwise, I might've written it off to harmless fun. But it's only one item (and a not very serious one, by comparison) on a still-growing list.

[TheRic]

[QUOTE=crokett]I hope you're not using a woodworking forum as your source for computer info for this list.
QUOTE]

But Larry could say "Even the people on a woodworking site knows this guy if full of it!"



[QUOTE] David: Not my ONLY source of info, no. I may be dumb, but I ain't crazy. [QUOTE]

I use to say that, but then people would ask for a second opinion.

[JSUPreston]

Heck, Larry, I'm just up the road from you in Montgomery. If you need help, just holler.

On a side note, I'd be interested in knowing this consultant's name. I've worked with some really good folks here in Montgomery, and I've worked with a couple/three real idiots that couldn't spell network, much less actually work on one.