[comp.sys.intel] 80386 Benchmark Data

ed@plx.UUCP (Ed Chaban) (11/18/86)

There has been much screaming about which chip is faster 80386 or
68020.  Recently, I received benchmark data from Neal Nelson & Associates.
This benchmark showed results from a Compaq 386. I compared this data to
the results from a Tower32

The 386 was SIGNIFICANTLY *SLOWER* than the '020 in LONG INTEGER MATH
while it was virtually *EQUAL* to the '020 in SHORT INTEGER MATH.
Don't say it was the memory because the "String Copy and Compare"
test was identical too.

So, What's the story intel? What do I have to do to make the 
386 beat the '020 Hmmmmm??? Does anyone out there have some 386 data
they care to share? Whetstones/Dhrystones perhaps?

-ed-
sun!plx!ed

mark@cogent.UUCP (Mark Steven Jeghers) (11/18/86)

In article <324@plx.UUCP> ed@plx.UUCP (Ed Chaban) writes:
>There has been much screaming about which chip is faster 80386 or
>68020.  Recently, I received benchmark data from Neal Nelson & Associates.
>This benchmark showed results from a Compaq 386. I compared this data to
>the results from a Tower32
>
>The 386 was SIGNIFICANTLY *SLOWER* than the '020 in LONG INTEGER MATH
>while it was virtually *EQUAL* to the '020 in SHORT INTEGER MATH.
>Don't say it was the memory because the "String Copy and Compare"
>test was identical too.
>
>So, What's the story intel? What do I have to do to make the 
>386 beat the '020 Hmmmmm??? Does anyone out there have some 386 data
>they care to share? Whetstones/Dhrystones perhaps?

Is disinformation a possibility here?  You know, get the rumor out
before anyone knows for sure which is faster, thus grabbing a little
head start in the race?  Yes?  No?
-- 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|     Mark Steven Jeghers - the living incarnation of "Deep-Thought"         |
|     ("You won't like the answer ... you didn't ask it very well.")         |
|                                                                            |
|     {ihnp4,cbosgd,lll-lcc,lll-crg}|{dual,ptsfa}!cogent!mark                |
|            ^^^^^^-------recommended------^^^^^                             |
|                                                                            |
| Cogent Software Solutions can not be held responsible for anything said    |
| by the above person since they have no control over him in the first place |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

tomk@intsc.UUCP (Tom Kohrs) (11/18/86)

>         Recently, I received benchmark data from Neal Nelson & Associates.
> This benchmark showed results from a Compaq 386. I compared this data to
> the results from a Tower32
> 
> The 386 was SIGNIFICANTLY *SLOWER* than the '020 in LONG INTEGER MATH
> while it was virtually *EQUAL* to the '020 in SHORT INTEGER MATH.
> Don't say it was the memory because the "String Copy and Compare"
> test was identical too.

What was the sofware environment?  As far as I know at this point Compaq
is shipping the Compaq 386 only with MS-DOS.  This uses 16 bit compilers
and 286 programming models. In other words it treats the 386 as a fast 8088
with all arithmetic being done 16 bits at a time.  If the OS environment 
was UNIX V.3 for the 386 then I would want to know more about what the 
benchmarks are.

If you have the environment information I would appreciate seeing it.
-- 
------
"Ever notice how your mental image of someone you've 
known only by phone turns out to be wrong?  
And on a computer net you don't even have a voice..."

  tomk@intsc.UUCP  			Tom Kohrs
					Regional Architecture Specialist
		   			Intel - Santa Clara

ed@plx.UUCP (Ed Chaban) (11/20/86)

In article  <64@cogent.UUCP>  Mark Steven Jeghers writes:

> In article <324@plx.UUCP> ed@plx.UUCP (Ed Chaban) writes:
> >There has been much screaming about which chip is faster 80386 or
> >68020.  Recently, I received benchmark data from Neal Nelson & Associates.
> >This benchmark showed results from a Compaq 386. I compared this data to
> >the results from a Tower32
> >
> >The 386 was SIGNIFICANTLY *SLOWER* than the '020 in LONG INTEGER MATH
> >while it was virtually *EQUAL* to the '020 in SHORT INTEGER MATH.
> >Don't say it was the memory because the "String Copy and Compare"
> >test was identical too.
> >
> 
> Is disinformation a possibility here?  You know, get the rumor out
> before anyone knows for sure which is faster, thus grabbing a little
> head start in the race?  Yes?  No?

Only if you think Neal Nelson has an axe to grind. So far as I can tell,
Nelson is very objective in his benchmarking.  If you are accusing *ME*
Mark, I'd have to be INSANE to misquote published data.

As for "Head Start" it is obvious that Motorola *ALWAYS* had it.
I personally don't give a sh*t if Intel's chip is faster or slower,
all I wanna know is what is the reason for the long/short integer
differances.

-ed-

Ed Chaban
Plexus Computers Inc.
Phone: (408) 943-2226
Net: sun!plx!ed

jsgray@watmath.UUCP (Jan Gray) (11/20/86)

In article <404@intsc.UUCP> tomk@intsc.UUCP (Tom Kohrs) writes:
>> The 386 was SIGNIFICANTLY *SLOWER* than the '020 in LONG INTEGER MATH
>> while it was virtually *EQUAL* to the '020 in SHORT INTEGER MATH.
>What was the sofware environment?  As far as I know at this point Compaq
>is shipping the Compaq 386 only with MS-DOS.  This uses 16 bit compilers
>and 286 programming models. In other words it treats the 386 as a fast 8088
>with all arithmetic being done 16 bits at a time.  If the OS environment 
>was UNIX V.3 for the 386 then I would want to know more about what the 
>benchmarks are.

Who is selling UNIX V.3 for the 386?  Can you even buy a C compiler
which supports 32 bit mode?

Jan Gray   jsgray@watmath   University of Waterloo   519-885-5921

tomk@intsc.UUCP (Tom Kohrs) (11/21/86)

in article 3428@watmath.UUCP, Jan Gray  <jsgray@watmath> writes:

> Who is selling UNIX V.3 for the 386?  Can you even buy a C compiler
> which supports 32 bit mode?
> 
Unix V.3 for the 386 is currently under development at Intel and Interactive
Systems.  It is expected that it will be available on the general market
sometime early Q1'87.  Compilers that will support the 32 bit native mode
of the 386 will be available at the same time.  These will include C compilers
from Greenhills, LPI, Gold Hill and Metaware.

-- 
------
"Ever notice how your mental image of someone you've 
known only by phone turns out to be wrong?  
And on a computer net you don't even have a voice..."

  tomk@intsc.UUCP  			Tom Kohrs
					Regional Architecture Specialist
		   			Intel - Santa Clara

ben@catnip.UUCP (11/27/86)

In article <3428@watmath.UUCP> jsgray@watmath.UUCP (Jan Gray) writes:
>Who is selling UNIX V.3 for the 386?  Can you even buy a C compiler
>which supports 32 bit mode?

The Santa Cruz Operation is selling its 386 toolkit to people who want
to develop software to run on Xenix/386.  The package supposedly includes
a C compiler which supports the i80386 modes, and a minimal 386 kernel to
test the software.

The cost is $395, but the package requires that you already own Xenix/286
v 2.1.3.

-- 

Ben Broder
{ihnp4,decvax} !hjuxa!catnip!ben
{houxm,topaz}/

ron@brl-sem.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (11/30/86)

In article <3428@watmath.UUCP>, jsgray@watmath.UUCP (Jan Gray) writes:
> 
> Who is selling UNIX V.3 for the 386?  Can you even buy a C compiler
> which supports 32 bit mode?
> 
Interactive Systems (argh, what a pain) should be finishing up the
System V port for the 386 any day now.  Last I heard they had finished
it for the MULTIBUS I system and were working on the Multibus II 386
card.

-Ron

vance@sci.UUCP (Vance Turner) (12/06/86)

In article <499@brl-sem.ARPA>, ron@brl-sem.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) writes:
> In article <3428@watmath.UUCP>, jsgray@watmath.UUCP (Jan Gray) writes:
> > Who is selling UNIX V.3 for the 386?