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> Can anyone in the know comment on the relative speeds of a P100 vs a
> good PowerPC chip?
I don't know that I'm "in the know", but from what I've read,
the Pentium 90's and 100's, in raw terms, aren't as fast as the PPC 601
chip. However, in reality, after being encumbered by the various
operating systems and other related hardware (specifically, Windows &
the Mac's System 7.x OS), the Pentiums come out somewhat ahead of the
PowerPC. This is partly due to the fact that the Mac OS is still not
completely PPC-native, but rather in emulation mode (emulating the
previous Motorola 68000 series chips).
However, the next step seems to be the killer. Who knows when
Intel will get the next generation chip out, though Pentiums running
at 120 Mhz appear to be just around the corner. Before the end of this year
however, you will see Macintosh machines with the next generation PowerPC
chip--the 604--in them. From what I can see, the 604 will blow the
doors off the Pentium and quite likely by the time Intel catches up
with their next chip, Motorola will have the PPC 620 out, keeping one
step ahead of them.
In terms of market share, I doubt anything huge will happen, but
it appears to be a safe bet that the PowerPC chip will make a decent dent,
given its huge performance advantages and its relatively low price(s). I
think if Win NT ever catches on (or OS/2 actually goes someplace), then the
versions of these operating systems on the PPC chip will be real winners.
----- ___________________________
Randy Whittle whittle@usc.edu | Practice random acts |
USC School of Business (Fight on, 'SC Trojans!) | of senseless |
(My opinions are mine, but since I'm | viol...err.. |
right, they should be yours too.) | kindness! |
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