Subject: Re: Alpha Multia - worth it?
To: Chris G. Demetriou <cgd@cs.cmu.edu>
From: Rob Deker <deker@digex.net>
List: current-users
Date: 04/03/1997 17:46:29
On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Chris G. Demetriou wrote:

> As far as raw CPU speed, they're pretty much between a Pentium-75 and
> a Pentium-90.  That's not fast for any definition that I use.  (They
> are significantly slower than similar-speed 21064-based systems.)
> Their PCI bus interface is ... rather slow, and so transactions over
> the PCI bus are slow.
> 
Well, I suppose it's a difference in operating paradigm...My fastest
machine right now is a sparc IPC :)

> They may support PCMCIA in hardware, but they don't under NetBSD.
> 
but that doesn't mean that it won't in the future, right? (thinking of
PCMCIA based GPS recievers for NTP)

> Their graphics is on the PCI bus and is CPU-driven (even for
> acceleration functions, the design is intended to be used with a fast
> CPU).  Under NetBSD the acceleration isn't used, so it's not
> particularly fast.  Even when the acceleration is used, it can't be
> that fast because of the design of the system and graphics
> accelerator.
> 
Hrmmm....did not know that. From what I've seen they were quick, but of course
my comparison is a CG3 :)

> They're tiny, but they also tend to fry themselves, as far as I've
> seen.
> 
all teh folks that I know who have them haven't run into this trouble yet...

rob

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