From: SMTP%"RELAY-INFO-VAX@CRVAX.SRI.COM" 16-MAR-1994 17:55:53.91 To: EVERHART CC: Subj: Re: Is VMS Dying? Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 21:22:39 +0100 From: Arne Vajhoej Subject: Re: Is VMS Dying? To: lionel@QUARK.ENET.DEC.COM, INFO-VAX@SRI.COM Message-id: <01HA0K5AAFKY8WWF9X@kopc.hhs.dk> X-VMS-To: KOPC::IN%"lionel@QUARK.ENET.DEC.COM" X-VMS-Cc: IN::"INFO-VAX@SRI.COM" MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT > >>There has been in fact only one model of VAX processor which implemented in > >>"hardware/microcode" every instruction that was defined in the VAX > architecture > >>during its lifetime - that was the 11/730 (and its cousin the 11/725). All > >>other models omitted some set of instructions or other. (The 11/780 and > >>11/750 could support the complete instruction set with an extra-cost option.) > > >And because of this, the 11/730 actually does REAL*8 (and COMPLEX*16) > >math faster than the 11/780 and 11/750, and many other (usually faster) > >VAXen. (I believe the 11/730 was the fastest at REAL*8 until the introduction > >of the 88xx... but I'm sure someone will correct me.) > > You meant REAL*16 (H_float). Though the base 730 was a real dog at H_float > (as it was at most everything, though it did have its surprises), the > optional FP730 accelerated H_float so that it was the fastest until the > 8600 (not 8800, that came later) was released. > > The 780 (with FP780) was very good at REAL*8; more so than you'd expect > given its integer performance. This is what made the 780 look so good > when compared to the then-current IBM 43xx models (which cost a lot > more than the $100K the 780 did.) I once wrote a small program testing speed of different instructions on different VAX'es (I was lucky enough to get a lot of net folks around to run the test on various types of VAX'es). I did never get results for a 730. But here are a part of the summary: ================================================================================ Absolute performance Byte Word Long F-floatD-floatG-floatH-floatChar(1) Char(2) Call mvaxii 1046 1221 1157 2005 2756 2982 417057 2766617 45451861 12782 mvax3300 515 583 454 785 1289 1382 187937 2132325 14998459 5577 mvax3400 504 570 440 779 1286 1381 218338 2141457 15033833 5530 mvax3600 460 521 401 704 1154 1241 149383 1523000 13217652 4981 mvax3900 303 351 267 468 768 827 103107 1108359 8883421 3544 vax750 1838 1879 1996 1659 2986 725667 795652 5763056 20563346 21321 vax780 907 993 1064 1102 1790 338533 379015 4152864 11641426 14832 vax785 572 606 654 705 1143 3606 5181 3888489 7799335 11903 vax4200 176 197 155 305 479 488 68558 1543361 6198852 2796 vax4300 131 151 137 342 451 483 51408 541505 5348934 1471 vax4500 52 65 55 50 65 72 15398 274427 1805931 553 vax6300 299 344 263 463 764 820 105392 932421 9710955 3877 vax6400 135 152 140 340 447 478 51914 641489 4858477 1499 vax6600 53 62 50 46 64 69 13268 178197 1520987 481 vax8350 730 767 699 1220 1628 2019 8379 2456053 7783971 12524 vax8600 209 208 207 363 542 532 2393 1283621 2400812 3289 vax8650 136 132 131 240 346 349 1570 828651 1563343 2241 vax8700 235 238 217 367 490 567 1083 467527 1428053 2238 vax8800 228 235 224 363 506 569 1101 470695 1325018 2466 vax9200 24 24 24 32 56 55 1039 100049 1268393 744 vax9400 30 26 24 35 61 60 1068 85137 1224990 727 vaxs2000 1117 1291 1227 2130 2925 3166 444133 2941796 48126851 13411 vaxs3100-30 467 523 405 706 1154 1241 156032 1784679 13339962 5253 vaxs3100-38 461 514 395 702 1156 1243 178295 1812917 13328234 5554 vaxs3100-58 456 519 409 720 1171 1252 156596 1887245 14044041 5265 vaxs3100-76 137 152 150 353 454 496 48904 734859 4896121 1477 vaxs3200 460 531 405 718 1167 1258 148366 1585280 13417484 5065 vaxs4000-60 86 101 92 218 288 305 35232 453399 3030740 995 Col. 1-7 : ADDx2,ADDx3,SUBx2,SUBx3,MULx2,MULx3,DIVx2,DIVx3,MOVx,CMPx,TSTx Col. 8 : MOVC3,MOVC5 Col. 9 : MATCHC,LOCC,MOVTC,MOVTUC Col. 10 : CALLS,CALLG The absolute performance is a geometric mean of the instructions in the group (ns/inst). ================================================================================ The entire summary, the test program and the test results are all available from MAILSERV@KOPC.HHS.DK ! Arne Arne Vajhøj local DECNET: KO::ARNE Computer Department PSI: PSI%238310013040::ARNE Business School of Southern Denmark Internet: ARNE@KO.HHS.DK