Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!noao!arizona!pagels
From: pagels@cs.arizona.edu (Michael A. Pagels)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: Re: Where's the SPARK in my SPARC????
Message-ID: <537@coatimundi.cs.arizona.edu>
Date: 21 Feb 91 21:25:26 GMT
References: <1991Feb21.120049.5626@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Sender: news@cs.arizona.edu
Reply-To: pagels@cs.arizona.edu (Michael A. Pagels)
Organization: U of Arizona, CS Dept, Tucson
Lines: 8

We have had a number of performance surprises brought to us
by SPARC's.  In all cases they were traced to the SPARC using
register windows, and the MIPS not.  Generally, if your code
nests small-procedure calls deeply -- a common occurance in
highly structured programs -- you pay a very large over head
in the SPARC as it spends alot of time spilling register windows.

Michael....


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