Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!apollo!rehrauer From: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) Newsgroups: comp.benchmarks Subject: Re: SPECmarks Message-ID: <4de9054b.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> Date: 9 Nov 90 21:21:00 GMT References: <1990Nov9.012540.28546@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> <4de7f24e.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> Sender: root@apollo.HP.COM Reply-To: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) Distribution: comp Organization: Hewlett-Packard Apollo Division - Chelmsford, MA Lines: 37 In article mutchler@zule.EBay.Sun.COM (Dan Mutchler) writes: >In article <4de7f24e.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) writes: > However, it was inevitable that people would want to make comfortable > "X to Y" comparisons, and at least "SPECmarks" are far, far less misleading > than "MIPS". > >Well, maybe...If a the two systems X and Y have fairly balanced >performance then the single number is reasonable, but a current >example is the RS/6000. It comes in at 27 SPECmarks for the geometric >mean, but that is due largely to fantastic floating point performance >on vectorizable code. A user that does little floating point will find >that the integer portion of the system is about 15 SPECmarks, making >it much closer to its competitors. Yes, and I admire their strategy of giving the vectorizing preprocessor to every buyer. Making it standard means they needn't mention it in the fine print anywhere. Smart marketing (even if you don't get that sort of performance everywhere across the suite). >I agree with the original SPEC position. Look at all ten numbers and >only use the ones that mean something to your application. The boiled >down number can be just as misleading as MIPS. True, and I agree. On the other hand, I feel that people who are hell-bent on evaluating a system by a single number would find some other silly figure to fixate upon if SPECmarks weren't quoted, and deserve what they get. And the charts ARE sometimes published in trade rags; _EE Times_ is usually good about this (makes sense since they're a SPEC member :-). I was merely pointing out that at least the SPEC suite represents a moderate mix of code, as opposed to a single trivial integer test or two. As always, buyer beware. -- "I feel lightheaded, Sam. I think my | (Steve) rehrauer@apollo.hp.com brain is out of air. But it's kind of | The Apollo Systems Division of a neat feeling..." -- Freelance Police | Hewlett-Packard