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From: bcw@rti.rti.org (Bruce Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.programmer,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: How is a 68000 as fast as an 80386??
Summary: 486 machine speeds
Message-ID: <3680@rtifs1.UUCP>
Date: 22 Mar 90 03:24:13 GMT
References: <1503@watserv1.waterloo.edu>
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.programmer
Distribution: na
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, RTP, NC
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In article <1503@watserv1.waterloo.edu>, ssingh@watserv1.waterloo.edu ($anjay "lock-on" $ingh - Indy Studies) writes:
> BTW, I'm probably behind
> the times, but when the 486 first came out, it was informally 25 Mhz and
> 15 VAX MIPS. Motorola waited and out comes a 68040 at 25 Mhz and 20 VAX
> MIPS. ALR now has a 33 Mhz 486 out now; net throughput increase: 25%;
> projected VAX MIPS (my guess, anyway): 20.

Am I the only one that thinks these numbers look awfully optimistic?
I've used PC's and VAXes for quite some time, and my informal
benchmarks would give about 3 VAX MIPS to a 25 MHz 386;  surely
the 486 isn't 5 times faster than a 386 at the same clock speed?!
The rags I've seen make the 486 about 2-3 times faster than a 386,
maximum (some applications more like 1.5), which would make a 486
AT MOST a 10 VAX MIPS machine, and probably more like a 6 VAX MIPS
machine.

Unfortunately, in this business, hype is always the order of the
day.  Hopefully once they get 486 chips that really work ( ;-) )
then the true state of affairs will be somewhat more visible.

						Bruce C. Wright