Conference ricks::dechips

o  Fast floating point. FP is much faster on Alpha than on Intel.
   This typically helps on modelling apps, such as spice, weather forecasting,
   molecular modelling, EMI/RFI modelling. It also helps on 3D graphics apps,
   because the graphics pipeline requires floating point for rotating and
   positioning objects in 3d. 

o  Good memory bandwidth. 433a/500a memory bandwidth is much better than 
   200i.

o  Best overall performance. If you app ever does anything that takes time
   to complete, it will almost always be faster on the Alpha, assuming an
   Alpha native version of the app is available. If you like to twiddle your
   thumbs, buy Intel!

--RS

    don't forget to mention 64 bit NT coming on Alpha first.

ref.1 

If you could quantify the points in your note, it 
will help. 

Ajit

    re 64 bit NT, first on Alpha. Is this to be 'real' 64 bit, or WIN32
    APIs with some horrible 64 bit cludge nailed on ? Curious, and
    customers asking too. [wrong conference maybe ?]

    Re: memory bandwidth - We're working on quantifying the memory
    bandwidth into "publishable" form.  But Reinhard has run a variant of
    the same benchmark and the final results will certainly confirm his
    point.
    
    If you want the preliminary numbers drop either of us an email off line.
    
    Re: floating point: I think we (SPEC itself + Digital) are still not
    ready to publish NT SPEC numbers.  But the decision to publish might be
    accelerated a little  if we separated the publication of SPECfp95 from
    SPECint95.  The former is running on NT a whole lot like it runs on
    Unix; the latter is still doing a bit of porting and tuning.  If you
    think that separating the two is a good idea, drop us a line.
    
    For a really loooooooose estimate, take a Unix 400 MHz number for
    SPECfp95 and suggest to your customer that the 433a will not be
    disappointing once we do publish NT SPECfp95.
    
    The best Intel SPECfp95 number at the SPEC website is 6.75; Alpha 400
    Mhz SPECfp95 results are 14.1 (AlphaStation 500/400) and 17.2
    (AlphaServer 4100 5/400).  The SPEC web site:
    
    	http://www.specbench.org/
    
    /john

What folks tell me from the MS conferences is the 64 bit APIs will be
very limited, Alpha only. That sounds to me like enough to make marketing
statements about 64-bitness in NT (they after all get competition from
systems that DO have full 64 bit functionality). When a 64 bit Intel
followon comes, though, this threadbare state of the Emperor's wardrobe
may prove too much of an offense to their sensibilities...

(Mind too, there may be futures they have that I have not heard.)
[posted by Notes-News gateway]

The 64 bit NT work is more than marketing hot air,
but you are right that the API is minimal.
If you need to know the details, you should
contact DEC West for an athoritative answer.

	DEC West has actually put together a paper (internal use only) on
	what to expect.  I think there is a pointer in the NT notes 
	conference.

tgc

    Greetings - 
    
    I've tried all the title searches I can find and this is the
    closest note to my concern.  I've also 
    *scoured* the Intranet to find this paper [that I read once in 
    hardcopy] written by one of our Engineers [of this I'm sure] that
    compared our Alpha design philosophy with that of Intel.  He talked 
    about superscalar, superpipelined approach with Alpha and why our MHz 
    ratings are higher than Intel -- what that really means.  I'm sure he
    went into floating point performance, etc.  The paper was about 4-6 
    pages, if I remember, and I can't remember whether it was .PS or
    .DOC or what -- I do remember it was in very small print -- but
    I might have printed it out that way somehow.
    
    Now, from the looks of this conference, some of you could probably 
    address the topic straight out, but I'm not looking to take up that
    much of your time.  If you know the paper I'm speaking of, it will
    come to you.
    
    Thanks in advance,
    
    Kent
    SBU Sales Support, PHX

    re: Note 642.9 by PHXSS1::MEAGHER
    
    It was probably something written by Richard Sites. Cantact him.
    
    Ken...

    Richard Sites is no longer with Digital (he went to Adobe).

    OK, I got his address at Adobe.  Thanks.
    
    /Kent

    Anyone knows why Sites left?
    
    - Jens

    Sure, but that certainly isn't a viable topic for a public notes
    conference.

>    Anyone knows why Sites left?

     

    TFSOed.

    
    Excuse the sarcasm. Yet, it seems that digital's biggest 'export'
    is our indispensable talent pool.

    Not to mention that a native Alpha version in Photoshop V4 would have
    been a serious coup for DIGITAL; perhaps the single biggest opportunity
    to substantially increase market share in the hi-end commercial
    desktop.
    .02 K
    

    When did Richard Sites leave?

    Last fall seems familiar. October-ish?

>	DEC West has actually put together a paper (internal use only) on
>	what to expect.  I think there is a pointer in the NT notes 
>	conference.

     ftp://ntnone.zso.dec.com/doc/NT-64bit/nt64white.doc
     (albeit somewhat terse)

     This is an internal only document!