After 15 years using Intel-based processors for his powerful Linux computers, Linus Torvalds switched to an AMD Threadripper 3970x-based “frankenbox” to build the world’s most important operating system, Linux. Now, months later, Torvalds is happy with the change and wrote that he is “very happy with AMD today”.
That’s because Torvalds explained in a discussion forum about real-world technologies, that you get more return on investment from AMD processors. But what about high-end Intel Xeon CPUs? Torvalds said frankly: “I used to look at Xeon CPUs and I never managed to make the math work. Intel’s math was basically getting twice the CPU for five times the price. So for my personal workstations, I ended up using Intel CPUs for consumers. “
As for AMD, on the other hand, “the price of AMD Threadripper is much closer to ‘twice the price of twice the CPU’. Yes, you end up paying more for the equipment (MB and refrigeration), but this is also very aligned. So, yes, it ends up being more expensive, but if the CPU power is what you want and need, the expense is quite according to what you get. “
Of course, AMD has its own line of server processors, the Epyc family of processors and, as Torvalds admitted, “You pay more for this privilege, but at least AMD doesn’t try to hinder you and limit your non-server parts. So , you get ECC for Threadripper (and simply Ryzen) too, even if it isn’t necessarily ‘officially verified’. “
ECC? This means memory for error correction code. ECC memory chips can detect when a memory error occurs. Memory errors have long been assumed to be extremely uncommon. Torvalds, who knows a thing or two about memory, strongly disagrees.
Torvalds snarled, “The ‘modern DRAM is so reliable that it doesn’t need ECC’ has always been a children’s bedtime story that has been dropped on their heads many times.”
“We have decades of random kernel oopsies that could never be explained,” added Torvalds. This “is probably due to insufficient memory. And if it causes a kernel error, I can guarantee that there are several orders of magnitude more than cases where it only caused a bit-flip that never ended up being so critical.”
Today, ECC memory is hard to find and expensive when you find it. Torvalds blames Intel directly for this sad state of affairs. “Intel has been damaging to the entire industry and users because of its bad and misguided policies. [with regards to] ECC. Seriously.”
Torvalds adds that it is not just his thinking. “And, if you don’t believe me, just look at the several generations of rowing hammers [A memory security attack], where Intel and memory makers each time complained about how it will be fixed next time. Narrator: ‘No, it wasn’t.’
The root cause, according to Torvalds, was entirely about Intel’s “backward and backward ‘consumers don’t need ECC’ policy” that caused the ECC memory market to go away. “
Memory makers also have their fair share of blame. “Memory makers claim it is because of the economy and low energy consumption. And they are lying bastards – let me point once again to the rowing hammer about how these problems have been around for generations, but these f * ckers happily sold broken hardware to consumers and claimed it was an ‘attack’, when it was always ‘we’re cutting corners’. ”Still, Torvalds attributes most of the responsibility to“ Intel was pushing shit to consumers ”.
This is not a new problem. Torvalds reminds us that “You can literally catch me complaining about this for decades. I don’t want to say ‘I was right’. I want it fixed and I want ECC.” AMD, which offers unofficial support for ECC memory, “did it. Intel didn’t “.
Returning to CPU memory problems, Torvalds wrote: “I am personally very happy with AMD these days. I used to despise their horrible bulldozer cores, but I think they had a home run with their Ryzen series and their approach chip. Not just because they repaired their cores, but because their chips made it much easier to do the sizing they do and offer close to the ‘twice the cores for twice the price’ model. “
Would Torvalds consider returning to Intel-based workstations? That would be not only no, but hell not. Torvalds concluded: “Intel with its HEDT and Xeon chips that required different boutique silicon (and therefore overpriced) is dead to me, unless they seriously fix their shit. I’ve been complaining about their ECC policies here on this forum for about two decades now. Safe trip – because once Intel stopped offering the best return, there was absolutely no advantage in staying with them.
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