Byte claiming all single-processor AMD chipsets unstable

[NFS4]

<< Besides my own personal experiences with the issue, you do read the forums, right..? Base yourself on that alone, if necessary.. >>


You still aren't showing me much practical evidence. You ask me if I read the forums? That's an understatement

Considering that Anandtech runs off of AMD platforms should tell you how stable they are.

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1456&p=13

The main Anandtech site runs off a host of single processor AMD platforms (VIA KT133 and AMD760). The forums that YOU ARE USING RIGHT NOW are running on dual Athlon AMD760MP, KT133, and AMD760 platforms. You can sit here and make little comments all you want, but to make a blanket statement saying that ALL AMD chipsets are unstable is pretty ridiculous IMHO.

 

[nortexoid]

if you're gonna claim that uniprocessor AMD chipsets suck because of VIA, then you have to make the same claim about Intel, since VIA makes uniprocessor Intel chipsets as well..

but obviously other companies (i.e. intel, SIS, AMD) makes solid chipset alternatives to VIA - so the claim is unwarranted, for either AMD or Intel.

but anyway, dude is a complete ass....and knows it

 

[kgraeme]

<< guy that wrote that article is an idiot. The 761 chipset has been just as stable as any intel chipset I've ever owned. >>



Actually, the 761 has the VIA 686B southbridge and can suffer from the 686B bug in high-data transfer situations.

Stability is a funny thing to test. I can run my KT133A with SETI or some other CPU intensive test just fine. After swapping sound cards I can play games all night. But if I try to do certain multi-gigabyte video transfer/DVD encoding type tasks that put a lot of stress on the 686B then I'll crash sure as day.

Same with the SIS735 chipset. It can be extremely picky about the PSU. If you have one it likes you're golden. If you don't, then you're swearing up a storm. And the offending PSU can even be otherwise perfectly fine with any other chipset.

Like I said before, I find that for most people an AMD based system can be completely stable, but there are still occaisionally some issues. VIA plays a big role in that, but they aren't the only ones with chipsets that on the average require a bit more finessing than Intel chipsets.

 

[Metalloid]

I think that all chipsets can be "unstable", it just depends on the board you get. I bought an AMD 761 board that went crazy and fried two of my PSUs, so I sent it back, got a new one, and its in my friends computer and he hasnt had a problem in the three months that he has had it. I now have an Asus A7V266 that is not very stable, and I am still trying to fix it. My dad has two SIS boards, both have been stable, but the performance is horrible. But the point is, if you get a bad board, then it will be unstable, and its not always the chipset maker's fault. So the guy who wrote this arcticle is a nut. It is impossible to prove which chipset is unstable because half of the time, somebody else screwed up somewhere. You cant compare a rotten apple with a perfect orange.

 

[DoctorBooze]

<< ...the computer industry has been spoiled by intel. Intel's chipsets are sooooooooo easy to install, >>

Well they would be, with Intel being in Microsoft's pocket, and vice versa. Did anybody say "anticompetitive behaviour"?



<< and usually trouble free that companies won't settle for anything else. >>

<coughs> I know what you mean, but in the hands of office users, everything breaks.

Jerry Pournelle has been a columnist on Byte since... well forever. He doesn't claim to be highly technical, and his pieces are inevitably the opinion of a non-technical person.

 

[kgraeme]

<< if you're gonna claim that uniprocessor AMD chipsets suck because of VIA, then you have to make the same claim about Intel, since VIA makes uniprocessor Intel chipsets as well.. >>



Yup. VIA chipsets just suck more than others, no matter the brand of CPU.

 

[DoctorBooze]

Jerry just put Tuesday's remarks up and there's a link to a place I haven't seen before:

tecChannel : VIA Chipsets slow down PCI cards

Looks like they really did their homework on VIA chipsets there.

 

[Amused]

From his mail page:



<< The interesting thing is I am now on a hundred porno spam lists because I wrote to say that despite problems in the past I am recommending the new AMD systems. No good deed goes unpunished.

And you are correct: the statement I made was intended to be taken in the context of many columns which have reported that I use Athlon systems and have had few problems with them. I am aware that most people don't have problems and I have said so often enough, or thought I had.

This came off stronger than intended. So now I have to set my rules to reject the porn offers. It has certainly made me love AMD users more. And yes, I am aware that this is the work of a very few people. The AMD press relations people are horrified. Me, I have to reset my rules fairly often anyway so it's not that big a deal. But it has been enlightening. >>



Nice job, AMD fanatics. I'll never understand why people have EMOTIONAL ties to their proccessors.

Folks, Jerry Pournelle is not an idiot. The man is an extremely bright writer and technophile.

If you'd like to see some of his best work, read Lucifer's Hammer. Simply the best "end of the world/disaster" books of all time.

He may have over generalized, but there is no doubt (except in the minds of fanboys) that Via chipsets have a very bad reputation for being fickle and buggy.

 

[rickn]

<< Actually, the 761 has the VIA 686B southbridge and can suffer from the 686B bug in high-data transfer situations. >>



I've never had any problem. Ive had both SB Live and now an Audigy. That bug mostly affected VIA northbridge and 686b.

That article is really kinda silly. He goes and says single amd chipsets are not stable, and praises AMD's dual chipset. Who exactly is that article trying to target? Stability is judged completely differently between consumers and businesses. For home users, single AMD chipsets are very stable. Intel has packaged its share of lemons in the past. The TX chipset was a total joke

 

[Mem]

I like the reply from AMDZone.com,



<< Byte is at it again. These guys were not too nice when I ran into them at the Compaq meeting room at Comdex. Now they claim that single CPU Athlon chipsets are unstable. Man, I feel like it is August 1999 all over again.
Ok, I sent an e-mail about this to the author, so we will see. Please don't flame this guy people, but educating someone doesn't hurt if done correctly. >>

 

[EMAN]

I wouldn't say AMD chipsets are unstable.

But I wouldn't say it's stable as Intel chipsets.

Much as I like AMD good performing FPU I think this is the last time I buy AMD system again. I just had way to much head aches with this system. Unless Intel builds AMD chipsets I won't buy no matte how much Anandtech praises it.

 

[Pabster]

MadRat wrote:

"VIA chipsets work just fine. The only drivers broken in VIA chipsets are the ones between your ears, Pabster. You are just angry with the world and VIA is a PC target around here. Truth is they work just fine."

Yeah, you're right. Why don't you browse around a few tech forums and see just how many people are pulling their hair out at this very moment trying to resolve a VIA-related issue? Christ, ViaArena can't handle all the traffic

Pretending the issues don't exist is childish.

 

[MadRat]

I just looked. It appears the standard fix is "Install the latest 4-in-1s". Imagine that.

 

[WarCon]

Did Jerry Pournelle write Sci-fi books too? I am being halfway serious

Maybe he is borrowing from his experience in writing fiction..............

 

[Venomous]

<< Actually, the 761 has the VIA 686B southbridge and can suffer from the 686B bug in high-data transfer situations. >>



Get your facts straight before posting FUD. The VIA 686B bug only affected VIA NB powered MB's... NOT the AMD761

 

[dj4005]

I have been reading Byte since before IBM created the PC.

For those who don't know his history, Jerry Pournelle, while a talented sci-fi writer, has been making an ass of himself for YEARS in exchange for giving Byte a little name recognition in it's authors list.

His typical scenario was to get some new piece of hardware for one of his machines with the stupid nicknames, install it wrong, and then call up the CEO of the company who built the hardware expecting them to trot over and fix Pournelle's mistake. And the sad thing is - it's happened all too often.

His early columns were commedic. He'd rave about some new piece of hardware or software, then talk about some major new discovery that he'd made about the operating system - like typing in DIR to get a list of files. Sad to say, he's gotten only marginally better since the days when he used an IBM-XT to write his books.

It's sad.

 

[Czar]

<< The interesting thing is I am now on a hundred porno spam lists because I wrote to say that despite problems in the past I am recommending the new AMD systems. No good deed goes unpunished >>



BAHAHAH serves him right

 

[DN]

<<

<< Besides my own personal experiences with the issue, you do read the forums, right..? Base yourself on that alone, if necessary.. >>


You still aren't showing me much practical evidence. You ask me if I read the forums? That's an understatement

Considering that Anandtech runs off of AMD platforms should tell you how stable they are.

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1456&p=13

The main Anandtech site runs off a host of single processor AMD platforms (VIA KT133 and AMD760). The forums that YOU ARE USING RIGHT NOW are running on dual Athlon AMD760MP, KT133, and AMD760 platforms. You can sit here and make little comments all you want, but to make a blanket statement saying that ALL AMD chipsets are unstable is pretty ridiculous IMHO. >>



Remember, you can't compare professionals to the average Joe user.. To do so IS ridiculous..

 

[NFS4]

<< Remember, you can't compare professionals to the average Joe user.. To do so IS ridiculous.. >>


The AVERAGE user doesn't build his/her own computer. The average user buys his/her machine from Dell/Gateway/Compaq/HP/CompUSA/Best Buy, etc.

And in that case, you can expect to get a stable Athlon based system from companies like HP and Compaq. And I assume this person writing the article is a "professional." He should know better.

Even for the "AVERAGE USER" it doesn't take half a brain to click on a setup.exe file to install VIA 4-in-1 drivers or install SiS AGP/IDE drivers. For Windows XP, it's not even needed.

 

[Mem]

<< I agree via sucks...They have done a lot to damage the reputation of amd chips...if not...notice how many recent converts to p4 systems that are all saying easy installs and tweaking and more stability now at 600mhz ocs then via was ever... >>




Hmmm I`ve to disagree with that statement Duvie, being I went from SiS ,Intel to now VIA and I`ve never had any stability issues with any of my board chipsets period ,if I did I would of went back with Intel long time ago.

Performance will be different for each chipset .


Do you think top board brands would still be using VIA chipsets if there was stability problems?
My friends all have VIA & Intel boards and have had no problems with their VIA boards(or Intel),as for easy installs I installed my WinXP in 30 mins on my VIA board what could be any easier?

I even threw all the VIA 4 in 1 drivers,AGP driver and USB filter at WinXP and it eat them all for breakfast with no problems ,now you can say people have had 4 in 1 driver problems etc, but most in general have not.

I`ve seen threads with SiS problems etc but that does not mean SiS suck or make bad chipsets.
I still think going for a good board brand(I`ll take Asus,MSI,Epox, etc over ECS anytime) rather then the chipset in question is more important.


Last note.. would I buy Intel ,SiS,VIA etc chipsets again?.. yes because of the reasons above ,if some people don`t like VIA or any other chipset simple just don`t buy them no need for flaming.

 

[Pabster]

Venomous wrote:

"Get your facts straight before posting FUD. The VIA 686B bug only affected VIA NB powered MB's... NOT the AMD761"

Better look in the mirror

The 686B bugs (if it were only one...) affect all kinds of boards. Try finding an AMD761 board that doesn't utilize the ubiquituous VIA 686B south bridge. AMD761 is solid as a rock, no bones about it. But 686B, well, that's another story.

 

[Texmaster]

<< That's so utterly and pathetically untrue that I even question the need for a bandwidth-wasting thread such as this.

Byte.com has been writing crap for a long time, this is no surprise... >>



Yeah that guy is way too bias in that article to be taken seriosuly.

Besides, he doesn't even offer an ounce of proof to back up his claim.

Thats pathetic.