Subject: Re: accellerator boards (a question)
From: [email-masked] (John Crookshank)
To: Multiple recipients of list <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 16:19:59 -0500

> Robert Cohen ([email-masked])
> Tue, 12 Dec 1995 13:29:25 -0500

>> Can someone please explain to me how the Mhz plays into speed. For
>> example, is an 040/28 faster then a 03/33 ?? I am looking to replace my
>> 030 and am not sure what I should be looking for (I am puchasing one
>> used).
>> 
>> Thanks, and sorry for the "off topic" question, but this IS for my LW

Yes, and no. ;-)

Your question compares TWO variables, not just one. An 040 is quite faster
than an 030 at the same clock speed. This is because the 040 is a more
powerful processor, so even if the two you are looking at are the same
speed, the 040 version will still be several times faster.

Same thing applies to Pentiums, DEC Alphas, etc. The TYPE of CPU is every
bit as important as the SPEED of the CPU. I think this is even more
confusing in the DEC Alpha platform than on any of the others, since there
are so many different types of Alpha CPU's being sold today. Some of the
really old Alpha CPU's are actually slower than the newer Pentiums.

Then there is the memory question. On the Amiga, there are actually some
accelerators that do not have 32-bit memory. These are a joke, and should
be avoided. Some people also leave their 16-bit ram in the system when they
install a 32-bit accelerator, but don't add much 32-bit ram. This is also a
less-than-optimum setup, since a 32-bit processor needs 32-bit ram to
develop most of it's speed.

Anyway, to get back to your question, yes, an 040 at 28Mhz will be quite
faster than an 030 at 33Mhz, as long as all other things are fairly equal
on the system, such as ram, etc.

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