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From: brtmac@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu (Brett McCoy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Next, 40, Sparc, 2
Message-ID: <1990Nov13.171847.28862@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu>
Date: 13 Nov 90 17:18:47 GMT
References: <2403.273E80BF@blkcat.fidonet.org> <726@kaos.MATH.UCLA.EDU>
Sender: news@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu (The News Guru)
Organization: Kansas State University
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In <726@kaos.MATH.UCLA.EDU> barry@pico.math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman) writes:

>In article <2403.273E80BF@blkcat.fidonet.org> Maxwell.Spangler@f421.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Maxwell Spangler) writes:

>The essential difference between a Sparc 1 and a Sparc 2
>is a factor pf 2 in speed (the only difference?). I have been
>using a loaded Sparc 1 for half a year now---it was a reasonable
>improvement over the 3/110 I had before (X windows runs much better,
>and floating point went up by a factor of 3 or so), but another
>factor of 2 speed increase wouldn't be that noticable.

According to the announcement that I read the Sparc 2 has approximately
3 times the I/O bandwidth as the Sparc 1+.  This makes it a much better
box to act as a server, and it also does better in environments where
you get into a lot of paging (such as running OpenWindows).

I have been using a loaded Sparc 1 for about 8 months or so also.  I
for one would definitely notice the 2 times increase in speed, since
I definitely notice that increase when using our Solbourne 5/600.  It's
processors are each about double the speed of a Sparc 1, and when you
can cut an hour long compile down to 30 minutes I would say that the
extra speed is worth it.  But I think I would be more likely to notice
the increase in I/O bandwidth even more.
--
When an eel bites your leg, and the pain makes you beg, that's a moray!
If I spent as much time on my classes as I do reading news, I'd graduate.
Brett McCoy			Computing and Telecommunications Activities
brtmac@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu	Kansas State University