"Most recently, Linux Magazine has reviewed a number of AMD Opteron rigs, and that’s no coincidence, because the AMD64 chip currently provides the best bang-for-your-buck for high-performance Linux servers and workstations. So this month, we look at--yes, yet another--Opteron server. But this review has a twist, so read on.
"Most technology publications, especially those focused on PCs and servers, tend to review hardware offered by the 'Tier 1 vendors,' such as HP, IBM, Sun, and Dell. To a lesser extent, those same periodicals also review hardware from the so-called “Tier 2” vendors, or those companies that are a fraction of the size of the 'The Big Four' and value price their hardware to compete..."