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From: rnovak@mips.com (Robert E. Novak)
Newsgroups: comp.benchmarks
Subject: Re: Calculating MIPS
Message-ID: <43314@mips.mips.COM>
Date: 16 Nov 90 17:53:27 GMT
References: <1990Nov16.080815@mathcs.emory.edu>
Sender: news@mips.COM
Reply-To: rnovak@mips.com (Robert E. Novak)
Lines: 21

In article <1990Nov16.080815@mathcs.emory.edu>, km@mathcs.emory.edu (Ken
Mandelberg) writes:
> Exactly how do you calculate the MIPS rating of a processor? Is it derived
> directly from the instruction set and cycle timings, or is it more empirical?
> 
> -- 
This is exactly why SPEC was formed.  There was no consistent method for
measuring "mips" ratings.  Do you use Dhrystone 1.1 "mips", do you count
instruction counts (CISC manufacturers cried foul when RISC did this),
do you take a suite of UNIX applications and measure their relative
performance to a VAX (which VAX, what suite?)?

This lead to a great number of claims and counterclaims about who had
the best "mips" rating.  With SPEC, at least the counterclaims have
stopped.  We now have definitive (if not perfect) answers.  SPEC will
continue to add applications to the SPEC suite.  Stay tuned for more
information.
---
Robert E. Novak                     Mail Stop 5-10, MIPS Computer Systems, Inc.
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