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From: kamath@reed.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: 6502, 65C02, 65802, 65C802, 65816 and the 65C816
Message-ID: <5705@reed.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Mar-87 14:51:18 EST
Article-I.D.: reed.5705
Posted: Mon Mar 16 14:51:18 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Mar-87 04:02:48 EST
Reply-To: kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath)
Distribution: world
Organization: Reed College, Portland, OR
Lines: 53
Keywords: Microprocessors, speed



hello networld. . .

There have been a lot of questions about the 65C02 vs. the 6502, and
replacing the C02 with an 802.  So, I thought it might be better to
clear the air a little.

Replacing any chip in you //e or ][+ will not change the speed, except
for the PAL/HAL divider and the JK flipflops which devide and clean up
the crystal.  Therefor, putting in a new microprocessor will NOT speed
up your computer.  So why bother?

Well, power consumption and heat dissapitation are two pretty good
reasons.  The 'C' in the processor name means CMOS, and they run cooler
and with less power then their non-c counterparts. When they introduced
the 65C02 they increased the instuctions set and addressing modes.
However, you can buy both c and non-c 65802's and 816's.

Another reason is, as mentioned above, the 65C02 has more features.
There is no difference between a 65802 and 65816.  They are the same
silicon chip.  The 802 is pin for pin compatable with the 6502 and also
powers up in 6502 emulation mode. The only advantage to having a 65802
instead of a 6502 or 65C02 in a //e is that IF THE PROGRAMMER WHO WROTE
THE SOFTWARE USES IT!  it will not speed up applesoft, the monitor,
anything, except that which takes advantage of it.  It is NOT like
putting a 450 horsepower engine into an MG midget. At all.  It is more
like buying a very expensive linear track turntable for your old 1950's
beat up chubby checkers records.  They wont really sound any better, but
if you buy NEW chubby checkers records, they will sound better than if
you played them on your old beater turntable.

As for speed up boards, as far as I know, the fastest a 6502 can go is
3MHz (6502B).  65C02 - 4MHz. I don't know how fast the 802 and 816 go,
but I am sure that in a little while (if not already) they'll have 8 MHz
versions out.  So if you have a speedup board that runs at 2 MHz, you
might as well have a 6502 in it as a 802!  Unless the SOFTWARE takes
advantage of it.

The only real advantage or a 802 over a 65C02 is 16 bit registers.

Sean Kamath
kamath@reed.edu.UUCP
tektronix!reed!kamath

P.S.  Sorry about typos and such, I just woke up. And I was up all night
arbitrating between my three cats and the one that's visiting for a
week.

At least I didn't go into RISC, pipelining and orthogonality.  I didn't
want to get technical :-)

sean