[e12e]

"What I can say with certainty is that the Archimedes running C programs without a math coprocessor rivals the Compaq Deskpro 386, a 16-MHz 80386 machine with an 8-MHz 80287, and comfortably outpaces a Macintosh SE with a Hyper- Charger, a 15.67-MHz 68020 with a 7.83-MHz 68881 , on all but the floating- point-intensive Savage benchmark (the Compaq also beats the Archimedes on the Sort). Even more remarkably, the Savage benchmark in interpreted BASIC V in RAM on the Archimedes takes only half again as much time as it takes in compiled C on the Deskpro 386 with a math coprocessor.

Benchmarks are not everything, but the experience of using the Archimedes tells me that on many untested tasks, like writing to the screen, it is far faster than anything else I've seen. If I had to take a stand on benchmark figures alone, I would look at the Dhrystone, which is the most general-purpose test (even though it doesn't test floating point). The Archi- medes runs 3 1 percent more Dhrystones."

https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1987-10-rescan/1987...

(see other formats at the top too).

Facinating read.

[rbanffy]

Thank you for posting it here. I was having trouble finding it.