Path: utzoo!utdoe!generic!pnet91!ericmcg
From: ericmcg@pnet91.cts.com (Eric Mcgillicuddy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: RISC systems
Message-ID: <782@generic.UUCP>
Date: 29 May 91 04:15:07 GMT
Sender: root@generic.UUCP
Organization: People-Net [pnet91], Etobicoke, ON
Lines: 19

RISC computers simplify a number of architectural features and add a
Parallelism to the execution stream that improve processor efficiency
immensely. It is possible to run an instruction in zero clock cycles for
instance. The use of Register variables becomes useful in most cases, given
that ther eare almost as many registers in RISC machines as there are zero
page locations in the 6502. For the same performance, you can produce a RISC
chip much cheaper than a "regular" chip and for the same price you can produce
a faster RISC chip. It is easier to redesign a RISC chip if you get it not
right the first time.

CISC chips are using parallelism more in newer designs, the '030, '040 and
'486 in PCs for example. Real world comparisions are difficult because
compilers for RISC machines are equivalent to CISC versions in many cases, you
end up comparing compilers, not systems, however I would expect hand-crafted
assembler to be better on a RISC that CISC machine given equivalent programmer
competency.

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