On 7 Apr 99, at 11:20, Jerry Pereira (Jerry Pereira) wrote:

> I realize that everyone may have an opinion on this, and they may all be
> different...Anyway, I intend on building a computer and need help in
> making a choice between a PII, PIII, or an AMD K6 III chip.  I have
> researched various motherboard sites, as well as the cpu makers for
> details but still have a problem making a decision.  I do not intend on
> using the computer for games or heavy duty CAD work etc., but would want
> something that is pretty much "state of the art" when completed.  Any
> comments in this regard would be appreciated...

  The PIII and the K6-3 both include additional "3D" instructions
beyond MMX.  It doesn't sound like your application mix would benefit
much from this.

  The PII and PIII implement Intel's DIB ("Dual Independent Bus")
architecture.  It seems like this *should* provide some kind of
performance win over Socket 7 designs like the K6-3, but I have not
seen that borne out by benchmarks.

  So the fundamental choice is that going K6-3 means also going non-
Intel on motherboard chipset.  Via MVP3 is good; some others (SiS, ALi)
less so.

  Something like a PII-400 or -450 now will give you decent
performance, and you can expect to move up to a faster P-III in a year
or two.  P-II is being phased out; P-III prices are likely to remain
high until P-II is gone.  K6-3 may be the last really hot ne chip for
Socket 7, so there may never be an upgrade path.


David G

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