Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!tektronix!tekcrl!tekgvs!toma
From: toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.intel
Subject: Re: Intel 860 (was N10)
Message-ID: <4820@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM>
Date: 24 Mar 89 15:59:36 GMT
References: <18208@glacier.STANFORD.EDU>
Reply-To: toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 29

In article <18208@glacier.STANFORD.EDU> jbn@glacier.UUCP (John B. Nagle) writes:
>     40MHz, 64 bits wide, about $750 each.  Impressive power, but
>are we making progress on price/performance?  A Z80 sells for about
>$0.75.  An 8086 can be obtained for under $10.  The trend is disturbing.

Well lets see:

Item		Z-80	860	Ratio
Clock Speed	4	40	10
Max instructions
per clock	.25	3	12
Data Size	8	64	8
Raw performance --		960 to 1

Price Ratio --			1000 to 1

On this measurement (which, admittedly has little meaning) it appears
to be a wash, although I would much prefer a single 860 over 1000 Z-80s
even if they offer equivalent performance!

The 860 can be made to look better -- consider 80Mflops vs about .001Mflops,
or about a 80,000 to 1 floating point performance ratio.

On the other hand, the Z-80 can be a real bargain if all you want to do is
test bits and branch (as in the microwave oven).

Tom Almy
toma@tekgvs.labs.tek.com
Standard Disclaimers Apply