Quoting numa@thenuma.com:

> On production machines (such as mine) you take the "if it ain't broke,
> don't fix it".

Yeah, but I can still yank your chain.

> On an anecdotal note... that stupid P233MMX was by far much more reliable
> than any of my more modern machines.  

I think the 166 was for a time the most stable hardware that the Intel world 
has seen.  Something about the plateau in the pace of advance at that time 
allowed some excellent supporting hardware to evolve for it.

> Some IT managers are pushing mobile processors into low end
> servers because some of them can be run with big-ass heatsinks and no CPU
> fans.  cool eh?

One of the problems is that we have been expecting server-grade performance - 
reliability, speed, and power - from machines that were designed to be 
desktops.  To make matters worse, they are typically not installed with the 
same care that a "real server" would be.  I have three servers - one glorified 
workstation and two dual-processor raid-equipped Proliants that are installed 
in a nice rack cabinet with variable speed exhaust fans.  The cabinet is 
designed to be set on a raised floor with forced cooling from below, or perhaps 
to have a kit installed to raise the base off the floor for air intake.  
Instead, it sits flat on the tile floor, and the only cooling air that can 
enter comes through louvres on the side.  "We don't need a Liebert and a raised 
floor - they're just PC's."

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