On  1 Sep 98 at 13:26, Winston Pike wrote:

> Which is faster, throughput wise; a 486DX-50 MHz or a 486DX2-66 MHz.

> I know that the faster MHz suggests faster processing but on the
> DX2 I had the speed of the mobo set to 33MHz whereas I had the
> mobo set to 50MHz on the DX

  Well, that's exactly why the MHz only gives part of the picture.
But to know the rest of the answer, you need to look at (a) cache,
and (b) application mix.

  L2 cache is much more important for a clock-multiplied CPU (the
DX2) than for one that isn't.  So which CPU is faster may depend on
whether/how-much L2 cache the motherboard provides.  At 0KB, the
DX-50 might be faster.  (50 MHz vs 33MHz access to main RAM.)  At
256KB, the DX2-66 is probably faster.  (Many fewer accreeses to main
RAM.)
  Exactly how many times the cache will be hit/missed depends on your
mix of applications; in the worst case, the cache effect could be
completely eliminated, although this is unlikely.

> Does the DX2 running at a lower external clock generate less heat?

  YES.  The DX-50 was pulled off the market because it was notorious
for overheating.  It's practically a collector's item.

David G

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