Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!mbkennel
From: mbkennel@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Matthew B. Kennel)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: What kinds of problems...
Keywords: Dhrystone, benchmark, i860
Message-ID: <7137@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 17 Mar 89 02:21:34 GMT
References: <471@estevax.UUCP> <15347@winchester.mips.COM>
Reply-To: mbkennel@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Matthew B. Kennel)
Distribution: na
Organization: Princeton University, NJ
Lines: 20

All this talk about integer benchmarks has left me wondering:

how important is it to have fast integer processing, as compared
to FP?   I really have no idea what most people do, but for me,
it seems that all of "integer"-type work that I do, something like
a Sun-3 is plenty fast (compiling, popping up windows, netnews).

It's in my big FP intensive jobs that I wish a computer were 20 times
faster than it is.  

Are there any really big jobs out there that are seriously bounded
by integer CPU performance?  (Excuse me, but I'm probably very naive)

If I want to speed up floating point, how much do I need to speed
up the integer unit?   If I had to make a choice, I know which I'
take, thank you.


Matt Kennel
mbkennel@phoenix.princeton.edu