Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!reed!intelhf!ichips!iWarp.intel.com!inews!tmcconne From: tmcconne@berger.intel.com (Tom McConnell) Newsgroups: comp.sys.intel Subject: Re: New supercomputer Message-ID: <4607@inews.intel.com> Date: 6 Jun 91 18:13:38 GMT References: <1991Jun2.153238.24866@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> <1382@ssdintel.isc.intel.com> <1386@ssdintel.isc.intel.com> <1991Jun5.185850.988@leland.Stanford.EDU> Sender: news@inews.intel.com Reply-To: tmcconne@berger.intel.com Organization: Intel Corporation, MicroComponents in the desert Lines: 43 In article <1991Jun5.185850.988@leland.Stanford.EDU>, izahi@leland.Stanford.EDU (Raul Izahi Lopez Hernandez) writes: > In article <1386@ssdintel.isc.intel.com> hays@iSC.intel.com (Kirk Hays) writes: > >it's 32 GigaFlops + 17 billion integer IPS, for a total of 49 GIPS, which > >is > 6000 times faster than the 386-33. > > I don't think it is fair to make such comparison. > Can you mention an application that runs routinely both in the 386-33 and > in the Delta? > Applications that benefit from being run in supercomputers are never run > in a PC (be it 386-33 or not), since the PC does not have similar memory or > I/O resources. > It is irrelevant to say that your LOTUS 1-2-3 spreadsheet would recalculate > 3000 or 6000 times faster since it would not be noticeable beyond 10 or 20 > times faster, because the spreadsheet is not big enough to even tax the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > abilities or the new 386-33 or 486 based PCs in any business or home > application, while in engineering or the sciences serious researchers use > RISC based workstations. > RAUL IZAHI > izahi@nova.stanford.edu Raul, One of the largest uses of computers in the world is transaction processing and financial analysis, both in the business world. When doing a financial analysis, which may well be in the form of a spreadsheet, you would more than tax the abilities of most PC's. Various financial firms have invested a great deal of money in supercomputers just for financial problems. At the same time it is not uncommon for smaller financial companies, or the finance department of some corporations, to use PC's for their financial stuff. IMHO, the needs of the user always outgrow the available resources ;-). - Tom -- Tom McConnell | Internet: tmcconne@sedona.intel.com Intel, Corp. C3-21 | Phone: (602)-554-8229 5000 W. Chandler Blvd. | The opinions expressed are my own. No one in Chandler, AZ 85226 | their right mind would claim them.