Content area
Full Text
With the advent of Pentium--Intel Corp.'s next-generation x86-compatible processor--we found ourselves asking the same questions you probably haveasked yourself. Why would you want to purchase a Pentium system? Does it pay to buy it now or is it better to wait until after the hoopla dies down and prices drop to mass-market levels?
Because there seem to be more questions than answers about the Pentium, we have deviated from the norm in this roundup and tested beta systems.
This product analysis features four of the very first Pentium-based machinestwo desktop computers, Compaq Computer Corp.'s Deskpro 5/66M and Unisys Corp.'s PW2 Advantage Plus 5606, and two servers, Advanced Logic Research Inc.'s ProVeisa V and Hewlett-Packard Co.'s NetServer 5/60 LM.
We tested the mettle of this new chip and offer some insights into what Pentium will--and won't--do for you.
EVOLUTIONARY, NOT REVOLUTIONARY. Because it is, by necessity, downward-compatible with older x86-family processors, Pentium is evolutionary, not revolutionary. It runs all the same programs as 486 systems, and there may not be a noticeable speed improvement unless the CPU is the bottleneck in your system and programs are recompiled to take advantage of Pentium's special features.
Our tests running the same program in both 32-bit and Pentium-optimized versions showed just a 3 percent performance increase when run on a Pentium desktop PC.
Although no machine seems fast enough when you're waiting for an answer to an important problem, the culprit isn't always a slow CPU. Now that local bus graphics accelerators have begun to address Windows' screen bandwidth requirements, it is the disk storage system that is often the most serious bottleneck in both workstations and servers. And if a workstation is on a LAN, the speed limitations of Ethernet or (especially) ARCnet are likely to be more important.
Thus, Pentium initially will find its niche in busy database servers, file servers, CAD workstations, and computers used for heavy number-crunching applications. Limited initial quantities of the chips will motivate manufacturers to maximize profits by building the chips into high-end servers. If history is any indicator, it will be at least two years, perhaps more, before Pentium processors trickle down into aggressively priced mainstream machines.
WHY PENTIUM? The 486DX, and particularly its faster cousin, the 486DX2, prove fast...