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From: ddt@convex.COM (David Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: bogus benchmarks
Message-ID: <104604@convex.convex.com>
Date: 3 Aug 90 17:07:14 GMT
Sender: news@convex.com
Reply-To: ddt@convex.COM (David Taylor)
Organization: Convex Computer Corporation; Richardson, TX
Lines: 43

In article <140112@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> herzog@Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Herzog) writes:
>In article <4299@tahoe.unr.edu> steve@olympus.UUCP (Stephen Wheatcraft) writes:
>> [...]
>>I have been doing some benchmark comparisons of IBM
>>R-6000, Sun 3/80, Sun 3/280 and Sillicon Graphics
>>Personal Iris 4-D25TG. [...]
>
>I think benchmarks are important, valuable, complicated, and yes, dangerous.
>
>I don't wish to engage in benchmark wars, and even if I did, this would
>be an inappropriate forum.  But I would like to point out that you've
>compared one company's latest and greatest RISC architecture against
>another's aging CISC architecture.

I believe that steve compared the R-6000 to Sun computers because many of
us have a good feel for the speed of a Sun machine.  However, I feel that
it was definitely /not/ wise to compare optimized results to non-optimized
results.

As for the original question asking for a comparison between the R-6000 and
SGI machines ... I'd suggest you consult the SPEC Benchmark Results newsletter
of Spring 1990.  Each computer runs 10 benchmarks which stress all sorts of
different areas of performance (refer to SPEC Newsletter of Winter '90).
4 issues of the newsletter cost $150, if you'd like to subscribe.  I don't know
whether we, as a subscriber, are allowed to release numbers, but if you'd like
to learn them, go ahead and write:

SPEC
c/o Waterside Assoc.
39510 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite 350
Fremont, CA  94538

or call:  (415) 792-3334

Be sure to ask for the SPEC Newsletter of Winter '90.  It's important for
understanding the importance of each benchmark.

	=-ddt->
--

     David D. Taylor, Esq, Performance Measurement Intern, Convex. (whew!)
         (214) 497-4860, ddt@convex.com or ddt@vondrake.cc.utexas.edu
                    Remember, flatulation is only natural.