Wow, I just lost all respect for CPU Magazine

[thorin]

Originally posted by: X-Man
I get my new issue, and it's got a review of three high-powered systems from Alienware, Falcon Northwest, and Voodoo PC. Cool to look at the pictures at the very least; the wiring is something to be emulated for sure.

Two of the systems are Barton rigs; the Alienware machine is a P4 rig, using the new 800FSB 3.0. I'm reading the article, and it says, "The system's core burns with a fast pair of 3 GHz Pentium 4 CPU's that crunch digits beneath a colossal heat sink/fan unit."

Hey, cool, I think, a dual P4 rig. Wait a sec . . . I study the picture. Hmm, that looks like a uni-processor board. What board are they using? I turn the page. It's the Intel D875PBZ. Hmm, okay, maybe it's just a bad angle. I go to Intel's website and look up the motherboard. When I see the picture, it dawns on me.

They thought a machine with HyperThreading was a dual processor rig! ARGH!

So of course you've written to the editor so that they can publish a correction in the next issue right?

I lost respect for them ages ago. heh
really somebody ought to figure out what those guys there are smoking. and I don't mean just for this one issue, I mean every issue.

I would say they're smoking Average Joe's naivety since they're (all the comp magz) still in business and making money.

Thorin

 

[sharkeeper]

People see my Task Manager and say Quad Xeon! WOW!!!

HT rules!

Actually, a lot of software recognises these machine as four way Xeon systems!

Perhaps the mag reviewers have the same programming! 😛

-DAK-

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: MadRat

Originally posted by: orion7144
Well it does act like a dual CPU.

In what way?

What do you mean, "In what way?" You have 8000+ posts in this forum and you don't even know how Hyperthreading works? I know you know better than that.

 

[bluemax]

True... applications that can use more than one processor actually "sees" two processors, not one. It's very cool actually. 🙂 I like hyperthreading.... but I went AMD so I won't see it for a couple years myself. 😀

For a simple-man's education, Intel's "Retail Edge" website isn't too shabby... actually explained Hyperthreading very simply and accurately. The app "sees" two processors, not one, and they can process information more efficiently than a non-HT processor would.

Not TWICE as fast... just more efficiently.... "filling in the holes" you could almost say. 🙂 The end result is maybe 10-40% improvement (more likely 10-25%) over a regular processor.... but the app has to be able to USE it!!

 

[Confused]

Also, even if the app can recognise and use it as "2 processors", the app will only see an advantage if the two threads use different parts of the CPU. If they are both trying to do the same type of job (like 2 FPU intensive jobs) then the net result could actually be slower than a single CPU/non-HT CPU, as the two threads will be competing for time on the same bit of the processor 🙂


Confused

 

[Wingznut]

I read that article yesterday, and noticed the same thing. No, they didn't give it more than a mention in the article, with the exception of the summary graph at the end.

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
You had respect for a paper computer magazine?

The only difference between a "paper computer magazine" and an online one is timeliness. And it can easily be argued that they tend to be more accurate than the average online magazine.

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
X-Man
I hope no one ever loses all respect for you because you make a mistake or are misinturpreted. All publications make errors and usually have a section for corrections.

Well said. If you lost respect for any journalist that makes a mistake, I think you'd have run out of things to read by now.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

BFD 😉:evil:

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: pm
I know a least three of my co-workers that subscribe as well. I'm not sure if the fact that I read it is much of a recommendation, but it can't be too braindead a magazine, if a bunch of CPU-designing Intel engineers are reading it.

/me swallows back crack at Intel CPU design Engineers 😀

The columns are ok, but the section that I generally enjoy the most is the "Hard Hat Area" where they explain technical issues - like the rendering pipeline FX 5800 in the April issue. They have one other section that I usually turn to right after I open it up and that's a contest between two of the staff members to design a machine using parts purchased online to do a specific task within a certain budget. It's usually pretty entertaining.

Yeah, I like the more technical issues (in any review based magazine) since I'm a Computer Engineering student and am always interested in the practical application of all this theory stuff 🙂 And actually I don't really have anything against paper mags, it's just that they are always a little behind, and even a month behind can make a lot of difference in "what's new" in this industry.

 

[Mavrick007]

I find that the mag is really behind and not as "in depth" as I would like. Considering most of these people writing the articles are big techies with their own sites,
I would expect more. I can get more just by going to their website even.

 

[mboy]

I ahve been getting it since it came out and also just started getting Maximum PC (only cost $5 for year sub).

CPU is BY far the best Compter/Geek paper mag out there.

Of course the info is dated as they have deadlines well in advance of when u read it and as we all know time FLIES in tech!

 

[MadRat]

Originally posted by: Ilmater

Originally posted by: MadRat

Originally posted by: orion7144
Well it does act like a dual CPU.

In what way?

What do you mean, "In what way?" You have 8000+ posts in this forum and you don't even know how Hyperthreading works? I know you know better than that.

It bypasses the normally latent time that the processor has while doing work, but that in no way makes it behave like a pair of processors.