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How are they defining "workstation class"? You can get SMT-4 18-core and 22-core POWER9 workstations with 72 and 88 hardware threads respectively in a single so

How are they defining "workstation class"? You can get SMT-4 18-core and 22-core POWER9 workstations with 72 and 88 hardware threads respectively in a single socket.

zamadatix 7y ago
Probably based on manufacturer marketing and IBM only markets POWER9 as server class CPUs. You can always find a manufacturer that just pulls a part from a higher target class and sells it as the top end lower class. In general I prefer cost range based comparisons (or first for any cost) for this reason.
pixl97 7y ago
Maybe as in "You can actually get off the shelf software for the thing". Power9 may be great for a very few things in particular, but for actual workstation use in an everyday environment x64 wins hands down.
- classichasclass 7y ago
  I've got Firefox, Krita, LibreOffice, a bunch of games ... most of it directly out of the Fedora package repos. There is certainly more and better optimized software for x86_64, but this makes it sound like there's nothing, which is false.
  - wtallis 7y ago
    It would help if you could cite any workstation software, rather than just generic desktop applications. Aside from developing software to run on POWER servers, what workstation tasks is a TALOS II good for?
    - rhn_mk1 7y ago
      What's your definition of "workstation software"? The parent answered using the definition "off-the-shelf", as asked.
      - wtallis 7y ago
        "Workstation" is a pretty vague term that has shifted over the years, but anyone who's using it as a distinct category from mainstream desktop computers will have at least something in mind that a workstation would be better at than a regular desktop computer. Web browsing, simple office apps and games definitely don't put you in workstation territory. Krita can be used in a workstation/professional context, but I don't think the choice of CPU is relevant there—GPU, monitor and digitizer are what a professional user of Krita is more likely to care about.
        rhn_mk1 7y ago
        With the shift from desktops to phones as personal computing devices, I've seen the beginning of usage of "workstation" to call any box-type computing device used for work.
      - p1necone 7y ago
        "Workstation software" to me means anything hardware intensive that you use to build things. Compiling large applications, video editing, music production, 3d modelling/CAD etc
gentleman11 7y ago
Power9 is nice for the openness of the firmware (iirc, lots of free software people recommend it)

How are they defining "workstation class"? You can get SMT-4 18-core and 22-core POWER9 workstations with 72 and 88 hardware threads respectively in a single socket.

zamadatix 7y ago

Probably based on manufacturer marketing and IBM only markets POWER9 as server class CPUs. You can always find a manufacturer that just pulls a part from a higher target class and sells it as the top end lower class. In general I prefer cost range based comparisons (or first for any cost) for this reason.

pixl97 7y ago

Maybe as in "You can actually get off the shelf software for the thing". Power9 may be great for a very few things in particular, but for actual workstation use in an everyday environment x64 wins hands down.

classichasclass 7y ago
I've got Firefox, Krita, LibreOffice, a bunch of games ... most of it directly out of the Fedora package repos. There is certainly more and better optimized software for x86_64, but this makes it sound like there's nothing, which is false.
- wtallis 7y ago
  It would help if you could cite any workstation software, rather than just generic desktop applications. Aside from developing software to run on POWER servers, what workstation tasks is a TALOS II good for?
  - rhn_mk1 7y ago
    What's your definition of "workstation software"? The parent answered using the definition "off-the-shelf", as asked.
    - wtallis 7y ago
      "Workstation" is a pretty vague term that has shifted over the years, but anyone who's using it as a distinct category from mainstream desktop computers will have at least something in mind that a workstation would be better at than a regular desktop computer. Web browsing, simple office apps and games definitely don't put you in workstation territory. Krita can be used in a workstation/professional context, but I don't think the choice of CPU is relevant there—GPU, monitor and digitizer are what a professional user of Krita is more likely to care about.
      - rhn_mk1 7y ago
        With the shift from desktops to phones as personal computing devices, I've seen the beginning of usage of "workstation" to call any box-type computing device used for work.
    - p1necone 7y ago
      "Workstation software" to me means anything hardware intensive that you use to build things. Compiling large applications, video editing, music production, 3d modelling/CAD etc

gentleman11 7y ago

Power9 is nice for the openness of the firmware (iirc, lots of free software people recommend it)