🚀 go-pugleaf

> >In article <MeTM3Ry00VolQH2VFv@andrew.cmu.edu> cw1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Chi-Tai (Frank) Wu) writes:
> >
> >On a 33MHz i486DX CPU system with 32MB of RAM and 256KB of cache:
> >
> >Dhrystone1.1 VAX MIPS: 27.6
> >Dhrystone2.1 VAX MIPS: 26.3
> 
> Amazing.  When the 486/33 arrived, I remember the approx number being
> 15 mips.  Then Intel began insisting it was 21 mips.  Now I see it's
> evolved upwards again.
> 
> This is encouraging.  If I just wait, my machine will eventually hit
> 100 mips and it won't cost me anything at all!
> 
> -scott
> ----
> GrayMatter Software Co.   9 Courtland St.   Holliston, MA   508 429-7867


This is not all that surprising because Dhrystone and Spec are both
a measure not just of CPU performance but of a compiler/system pair.
The latest Mike Slater's Microprocessor Report has an article on 
benchmarking which claims that compiler performance increases by about 
1% per month.  Internally some of our compiler guys claim a 
performance increase of 5%/quarter.


The performance numbers we published are generally based on the best
compilers we can find.  Thus given that the i486 is two years old I'd
expect a 25% increase in benchmark numbers. 

The ratio between the original Dhrystone MIPs number (21) and the
new number  (26.3)  is 25%.  Which means that the article is pretty
accurate.  I'll leave as excercise for the reader to figure out when
a 33 MHz i486 will reach 100 MIPs.  However, I think you'll need a new
computer by than :-)




Clif Purkiser
Intel Software Technology Group