Sun UltraSPARC II 300 MHz processor board

Advantages: Cheap entry level Sun SPARC from 1997
Disadvantages: Build quality is PC like, and low cache processors

...The Sun UltraSPARC 5 workstation was brought out in 1997, and was priced so you could have one on your desk for approx 1000 US Dollars. They stopped shipping to customers in May 2002. These days, it is not a fast machine, but still they are perfectly useable for many workstation and server tasks. Processor and Memory - This model has an UltraSPARC IIi processor which is, of course, 64 bit and is clocked at 360 MHz. You can have 1GB of memory in the workstation, installed as up to 4 DIMMS, which must be installed in pairs. "Normal" PC memory will not work in these workstations. The 260MHz model only has 256kB cache (same with the 270MHz processor) For better performance, you need the 2MB cache version on the 333 or 400MHz versions. Storage - There is one HDD bay in the machine, although if you remove the floppy drive, you can put... Read review

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Advantages: good overclocker
Disadvantages: not as good as duron

...The Celeron has been around for a while now and, due to the fact that it is a cut-down version of the Pentium 3 that runs at a slower bus speed (66MHz for the Celeron compared to 100 MHz for the P3), with a little TLC and a lot of cooling, it can often be made to run at speeds far greater than the advertised values. In this respect, it is not as good as AMD's Duron processor (see my review of that for details), but for owners of BX boards, this can be a cheap upgrade (see your motherboard manufacturer's website for details of whether it will run Celerons), as all that is required is the CPU and a *decent* heatsink & fan, rather than a new processor and motherboard. For example, one of my machines currently has a celeron 600 (this runs a multiplier of 9 at the bus speed of 66MHz) running at 900 MHz (9 * 100MHz). This is a huge... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap price
Disadvantages: Needs a patch for win95 if you plan to install it

...Continuing AMD's line-up of Super7 processors is this new 400MHz part, based on an external clock frequency of 100MHz. This new chip widens the company's K6-2 range, which now includes various speeds from 300MHz to 400MHz, including 366MHz and 380MHz parts. Unlike Intel's Pentium II and Celeron chips, the K6-2 uses a pin-out that is reminiscent of the old-style Socket 7 Pentium chips. The processor itself is square, with 321 pins underneath. This new chip, however, cannot be used in old Pentium motherboards, requiring newer Socket7-capable boards that support correct Bios CPU identification as well as the 100MHz system bus. Although the K6-2 range of chips is fully Windows-certified, and is appearing in a number of business systems from various PC builders, it is the chip's 3D capability that is particularly interesting. In common... Read review

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