Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!mp.cs.niu.edu!bennett
From: bennett@mp.cs.niu.edu (Scott Bennett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: RISC vs. CISC -- SPECmarks
Keywords: RISC, CISC, future processors
Message-ID: <1991Apr6.052707.540@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Date: 6 Apr 91 05:27:07 GMT
References: <27fa3350.6bc2@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> <?paG6lfg1@cs.psu.edu> <27fcdce4.3a0@petunia.CalPoly.EDU>
Organization: Northern Illinois University
Lines: 60

In article <27fcdce4.3a0@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> araftis@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Alex Raftis) writes:
>In article <?paG6lfg1@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
>>
>>Look at the SPECmarks for the chips.  RISC chips are outperforming
>>CISC chips.
>>
>  [text deleted  --SJB]
>Motorola was being optimal when they said the chip could do 20 Mips, and
>NeXT was being minimal when they said 15. Most of what I've seen done
>to benchmark the NeXT places it somewhere in between, showing that it
>is doing 1.3 cycles per instr. 

     And, at that, those are 15 or 20 *CISC* MIPS, which get a lot
more work done than 15 or 20 RISC MIPS.  Further, you don't always
have to up the clock speed to up the processor speed, as the upgrade
from the 68030 to the 68040 exemplifies, so you don't have to end up
with a processor that you could fry an egg on or one that has to use
bulky, expensive SRAM for because the DRAMs available either don't
run that fast or cost even more.
>
>  [more deleted  --SJB]
>
>There's also the problem of the operating system. Do you remember the
>days of NeXTstep 0.8? We'd have to go through all those bugs again
>as we waited for Mach on the new architecture to get bug free. We'd
>also have to work with a compiler that hasn't been as well tested as 
>680x0 based compilers.
>
>Personally, I'd rather see NeXT support a multiprocessor enviroment
>like Mach is suppose to be able to do. This would allow a user who
>needs more performance to get it with a second board. Also, there's
>no one stopping third party developers from make RISC based add in
>cards for the NeXT. These could be used by people needing lots of 
>number crunching or other specialty applications. I mean, that's
>basically what the NeXTdimension does. 

     I agree.  Would anyone (besides me:-) buy a 68050 upgrade board
in a year or two if it were available?
>
>>-Mike
>
>
>-- 
>               -------------------------------------------------- 
>                     Internet: alex@cosmos.ACS.CalPoly.EDU
>                  or araftis@data.ACS.CalPoly.EDU for NeXTmail


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
                                  Systems Programming
                                  Northern Illinois University
                                  DeKalb, Illinois 60115
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