Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!apple!agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!ncoast!davewt
From: davewt@NCoast.ORG (David Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: Blitter vs. 040 (was: Computer Architecture question
Message-ID: <1991May16.045252.7706@NCoast.ORG>
Date: 16 May 91 04:52:52 GMT
References: <?iaHpry4@cs.psu.edu> <1991May15.125954.1993@NCoast.ORG> <lv2H#zg5@cs.psu.edu>
Organization: North Coast Public Access Un*x (ncoast)
Lines: 53

In article <lv2H#zg5@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
>Yes, an 040 + blitter will be better than just an 040.  I was trying
	At last.........
>to get the point acrossed that animation is possible on the NeXT, not
>as good as the Amiga, but it seems like 20 to 30fps is possible,
>unless something else has been overlooked.
	Who ever said it COULDN'T. I sure didn't. You don't have to tell
ME that. Say that in a reply to someone who might have claimed otherwise.
>Are you running an 030 NeXT with 8MB of memory.  The problem isn't the
>CPU, it the paging to and from disk.  We have been through this
>before.  Thanks for joining us late!
	No, this is on a machine which WAS an '030 machine (so I know both
the "before" and "after" times), but which was upgraded to the '040, and
has 16 meg of RAM. This is NOT due to swapping. The fact is, that like
EVERY X-type display, it is just plain SLOWER than a bitmapped display like
the Amiga uses (not to argue that a more device independant display doesn't
have other benefits, but for any given CPU, a more abstracted display system
will ALWAYS run slower than one optimized specifically for certain hardware
features etc.).
>rate.  NeXT year people aren't going to be asking if they should buy a
>486 instead of an Amiga, it's going to be SPEC 30+ Compaq machine.  As
	Oh please, what planet do YOU live on. nExt year people will STILL
be using DOS, nExt year people will STILL be debating which VGA board to
use (or is XGA worth your while? Inside 3 brand-new(TM) reports!).
As it is the 2nd largest population of PC clones owned for the home STILL
have EGA or less graphics, and '286 machines are still selling well.
And you actually believe people will move to an INCOMPATIBLE chip, with
ZERO support or software, when the whole Windows/OS-2/PM slop is still
being fought? Get real.
>I was trying to demonstrate with my 030 + blitter < 040 argument.
	I would never argue otherwise. What I WOULD argue is that
68030+blitter>68030, and 68040+blitter>68040, which is obvious to anyone
with a brain bigger than that of a stegasaurus.
>There are extra cycles to burn, it doesn't matter if you have to
>context switch, you still win.
	Really??? Where are you getting these magical "extra cycles"? When
I have something to do there are NEVER enough cycles, even if I was
using a Cray! Is this like having too much clean air (Heck, there's
enough of it, let's just keep using flourocarbons to propell our hairspray).
>Not necessarily. Can I pick the 1 CPU?  I would think that it depends
	Sure, but unless you missed the point, whatever you pick I also
get, PLUS I get another CPU as well.
>on how the system is designed.  1 fast CPU can definitely beat 1
>dedicated CPU and another general purpose CPU.  Not to mention the
>fact that half of your hardware is being wasted when you aren't doing
>graphics.  A ray tracer would definitely win with the 1 fast CPU.
	Hmm.. "half" my hardware, huh? I guess that blitter really does
outway the Amiga's superior bus, superior expandability, and larger RAM
support. Must just leave enough for the "cool games" to balance it out,
right?


			Dave