Just slightly off topic?

[Bohn, Christopher A.]

On 9/16/98 12:57 PM, kragen@pobox.com wrote:

> On Wed, 16 Sep 1998, Goodin, Lee (AZ77) wrote:
> > 1 - with all of the obsolete computers available,  like 486DX4-100' or
early
> > Pentium based computers, I'm wondering if Beowulf technology would
turn 
> > them into 'super computers'?
> 
> I've often thought about the same thing.  Here are my thoughts:
[...]
> - Pentia are superscalar; 486s are not.

Hmm.  This actually was the subject of considerable discussion in one of my
architecture courses.  Given that with the P5 you're limited to one integer
operation at a time and one fp operation at a time, while it is technically
superscalar, it's not quite what I think of when I think of superscalar.
The P6 is another story.  The Pentium's fp engine, though, is considerably
more powerful than the 486's.

> - You may be able to buy more compute power by selling your 486s and
using
> the money to get some newer machines.

Absolutely.  Either selling the 486s or upgrading them for a moderate price.
There are a couple companies around here that will, for a couple hundred
dollars, take your desktop 486, pull the motherboard, and return it to you
with all the same components and a new motherboard with a 166MHz Pentium.
Or the same thing with older Pentium motherboards getting replaced with
Pentium II motherboards.

[...]

Take care,
cb
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Capt Christopher A. Bohn 
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Air Force Institute of Technology     Phone (937)255-3636 (DSN 785) 
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