Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!ames!purdue!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!cbema!las
From: cbema!las@cbnews.ATT.COM (cbema!las)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: VGA cards: 8-bit vs. 16-bit
Summary: Has anyone measured the difference?
Message-ID: <7964@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 5 Jul 89 16:47:07 GMT
References: <3308@cs.dal.ca> <[267.1]comp.sys.ibm.pc;1@vpnet.UUCP> <8529@attctc.DALLAS.TX.US>
Reply-To: cbema!las@cbnews.ATT.COM (Larry A. Shurr)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, OH (actually an AGS consultant)
Lines: 34

In article <8529@attctc.DALLAS.TX.US> chasm@attctc.DALLAS.TX.US (Charles Marslett) writes:
>In article <[267.1]comp.sys.ibm.pc;1@vpnet.UUCP>, kji@vpnet.UUCP (Ken Isacson) writes:
>>[16-bit vga cards are about twice as fast as 8 bit cards]

>[Not necessarily.  Only for 256-color modes (ignoring quality of device
>driver software).]

Since Charles is from STB systems, this lends credibility to his remarks.
I would still like to know, however, has anyone made an effort to measure
and compare the differences?  Will whoever does so publish this informat-
ion if it is not already published?  If published, where?  

I don't want to see another scorecard comparing only 8-bit cards against
each other or 16-bit cards against each other.  I want to see comparisons
of 8- and 16-bit cards using the same tests and the test systems.

Would people *who actually design these things* please tell us more?
              === ======== ====== ===== ======

I want to read/hear real technical discussions about this hardware.  It's
a lot more than "16 bits is twice as many as 8 bits therefore it is twice
as fast."  This remark has some (not complete!) validity in a comparison
of 8- versus 16-bit DMA and, hence, of hard disk controller cards.  There 
are, however, additional complicating factors with graphics cards such as
contention for access to the video RAM, design of the video RAM architec-
ture, and who knows what all, which keep the discussion from being as 
simple as that.

regards, Larry
-- 
Signed: Larry A. Shurr (cbema!las@att.ATT.COM or att!cbema!las)
Clever signature, Wonderful wit, Outdo the others, Be a big hit! - Burma Shave
(With apologies to the real thing.  The above represents my views only.)
(Please note my mailing address.  Mail sent directly to cbnews doesn't make it.)