Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!oliveb!amiga!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The Amiga is loosing ground to I*M and A*ple...
Message-ID: <4629@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 1 Sep 88 16:17:07 GMT
References: <10169@s.ms.uky.edu>
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 41

in article <10169@s.ms.uky.edu>, david@ms.uky.edu (David Herron -- One of the vertebrae) says:
> Keywords: Sad
> In article <64123@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes:
>>THESE ARE NOT COMPARABLE SYSTEMS.
>>
>>Period, by any measure the stock Amiga is less powerful than a 32 bit
>>16 - 25Mhz machine. Are we suprised?

> Ok.  So is the problem one of perception? Commodore put the A2000
> into a box that looks vaguely like an AT. Therefore people expect
> at least AT class performance out of it. 

You get at least AT class performance out of it.  For example, Dhrystones on the
real IBM PC-AT on this here chart range from 715 to 1791, depending on compiler.
Current compilers are only doing around 1300 on the base Amiga, but at least one
newer one (with optimzations, like that Microsoft compiler that pulls down 1791),
is doing over 1500, and it's not finished yet.  The PC-AT can't touch the Amiga
is graphics or I/O performance (even the fastest '386 boxes are only touching
what the Amiga under Fast Filesystem will do, hard disk wise).

> it's a 'new' machine and new machines in AT boxes are really fast.
> The misconception/perception I'm talking about here is the one where
> people are constantly comparing the A2000 to MacII's and the 386
> based machines.

OK, it certainly doesn't compare in speed to the latest things that are out
in PC style cases.  It also doesn't cost what those things cost, no matter
how you slice it up.  I think it's a good thing that it's being compared to
those machines, though.  I'd much rather have folks walk around saying my
A2000 doesn't quite stack up to a Mac II or Compaq 25 MHz box than have them
saying it really screams in comparison to an Apple II GeeWhiz or something.

And you can upgrade the A2000 to run at similar rates to those other machines.
One guy here has his machine configured with a 68020 board (OK, it's an A2620,
and they're not out yet, but you could do the same thing with a CSA or
Hurricane board) and a PC Bridge card with 16MHz '386 based pcelevATor in it.
So that's most of a Mac II and a Compaq, all in the same box.  Gotta like that!
-- 
Dave Haynie  "The 32 Bit Guy"     Commodore-Amiga  "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {ihnp4|uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: D-DAVE H     BIX: hazy
		"I can't relax, 'cause I'm a Boinger!"