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1995 1996 *1999*
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20 Dec 96 - 5 Sep 08
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NT Roars on the 604
------------------------------------------------------------------------
/Faster than P6 and Mips, slower than Alpha, the PowerPC 604 makes a
mean NT workstation/
/*Dave Rowell*/
Systems running Windows NT on the PowerPC 604 RISC processor are finally
here. Our cross-platform BYTEmark tests show these machines have
processor performance nearly twice that of Pentium PCs at the same clock
speed. The 604 also compares favorably to other RISC chips, although the
latest 21164 Alpha chip is still 30 percent to 50 percent faster (see
the sidebar "Alpha Stays Ahead").
We tested three of the first
available systems: Motorola's 100-MHz PowerStack Series E 604-100P
server, IBM's 133-MHz Personal Computer Power Series 850, and a beta
PowerPlay2 604/133 from Austin Direct that provides symmetrical
multiprocessing (SMP) with two 133-MHz 604 chips. Performance testing
with BYTEmark and several native PowerPC NT applications shows that the
604 makes a mean NT workstation.
All three systems we tested comply with the PowerPC Reference Platform
(PReP), a hardware standard that hardware-component and operating-system
vendors can design to. PReP leverages off existing x86-based standards,
specifying the PCI expansion bus, for example. As a result, the three
systems we review share many similarities besides the 604 processor. All
have expansion card risers, for example, and two use similar PCI SCSI-2
or Ethernet controllers. PReP systems run Windows NT 3.51 and AIX 4.1
now, and they should be running OS/2 by year end and Solaris next year.
For consistency with our first round of NT workstation testing (see
"Fastest NT Workstations," March BYTE), we requested high-end system
configurations (see the table "PowerPC System Features"
).
The tested machines have 64 MB of memory, 1 GB of hard drive capacity, a
CD-ROM drive, accelerated graphics (PCI-based SVGA), and an Ethernet
adapter. We ran as many of the same benchmarks as were available for
PowerPC, but under Windows NT Workstation 3.51 instead of 3.5.
Along with the BYTEmark benchmarks
(formerly the BYTE Native Mode benchmarks), we tested application
performance with North Coast Software's PhotoMorph 2.01 (beta SMP
version), a multimedia image-processing program, and with an alpha
version of Bentley Systems' MicroStation 95, a CAD package (the
equivalent of version 5.5). NSTL's InterMark test for NT wasn't ready
for PowerPC.
The PhotoMorph Swirl test
creates a 2.5-MB AVI file using a swirl distortion; the test basically
measures floating-point performance. The MicroStation tests were driven
by a script developed by NSTL. We ran the tests in both 8- and 24-bit
color depths, because the IBM Power Series 850's built-in graphics
doesn't support 24-bit color. PhotoMorph and, to some degree
MicroStation 95, take advantage of NT's SMP capabilities, giving added
performance when a system has multiple processors (as in the case of
Austin's PowerPlay2). MicroStation didn't support SMP in our previous
testing.
*Austin Direct PowerPlay2*
We examined a dual-processor PowerPlay2 604/133 beta system that should
be available by the time you read this. (List price with 64 MB will be
$9995.) Several jumper wires crisscrossed the motherboard, and a flash
BIOS upgrade arrived later to enable the 512-KB L2 cache, but we ran
into few problems. (FirePower, which designs and manufactures this
system for Austin Direct, makes a similar system for Canon, but it
wasn't ready for review.)
Notable features include the two 133-MHz 604 processors, ECC memory, and
a memory-bus-direct graphics system controlled by FirePower's Powerized
Graphics L1A9403 chip, which moves graphics data from the CPU to the
4-MB VRAM frame buffer over the system's 128-bit-wide memory bus. The
CPU does the graphics work. A Philips SAA7196 video decoder/scaler chip
has its own 2-MB VRAM frame store buffer. The FirePower motherboard
provides asynchronous I/O, which decouples I/O from the memory bus so
that activities like disk I/O don't hold up CPU/memory operations.
The BYTEmark CPU test exercises only one processor at a time. With both
CPUs enabled, the Austin trailed the 133-MHz IBM Power Series 850 just
slightly, due to the overhead of managing two CPUs. But in the
PhotoMorph test, two CPUs gave the PowerPlay2 a great advantage; it
performed better on this test than any machine we've seen yet. Display
of graphics isn't amenable to SMP under NT, but MicroStation uses SMP
when it can. However, with no independent graphics processor, the
PowerPlay2 fell 19 percent behind the IBM system in the 8-bit
MicroStation CAD test.
*IBM Power Series 850*
IBM's Power Series 850 is also aimed at the desktop. It has IDE drives,
but no built-in SCSI, and an 8-bit graphics system -- an S3 Vision864
accelerator chip with only 2 MB of frame buffer. Graphics options
include IBM's H10 PCI card with 4 MB of VRAM and a video coprocessor.
"Business" audio and 10Base-T networking are also built in.
Security starts with a locking front cover. Once it's unlocked, you can
open the mostly metal case without turning any screws. There is a ZIF
socket that can take an upgrade CPU, though IBM has no firm plans for
this socket.
Like the Motorola system, the Power Series 850 uses the Motorola MPC105
PCI Bridge/Memory Controller chip and therefore has a 64-bit memory data
bus and a 32-bit address bus. The 850 Series comes in 100- and 120-MHz
versions, which have a 256-KB asynchronous cache instead of a 512-KB
synchronous cache. As noted, the 133-MHz system performed slightly
better with non-SMP benchmarks than the Austin Direct PowerPlay2 did.
The $7017 test system came with IBM's 17-inch 17S/S Sight and Sound
monitor, which provides speakers, microphone, and an empty enclosure for
an optional video camera. The unit also comes with IBM software that can
take advantage of the 604's floating-point capabilities, including an
MPEG decoder.
*Motorola PowerStack Series E*
Motorola Computer Group sells its systems only through reseller channels
and offers a limited selection of peripherals, expecting resellers to
add their own. The PowerStack Series E is designed as a desktop server.
It lacks ISA slots and an internal IDE connector but provides four
serial ports (two synchronous), built-in Fast and Wide SCSI-2, and
Ethernet. You can stack a SCSI expansion module on top of the Series E.
The system provides over-temperature detection for the CPU and also for
the external SCSI module.
The 100-MHz PowerStack Series E 604-100P is a solid, cleverly built
unit. You can quickly take the whole system apart
(including removal of the motherboard and power supply) without touching
a screw or a cable; there are none.
The system we tested (list price $9279) came with a Number Nine GXE64
Pro PCI graphics card (loaded with 4 MB of VRAM) but no monitor. It also
included two Toshiba 525-MB SCSI hard drives and a CD-ROM drive. The
floppy-drive card plugs into its own proprietary slot on the expansion
card riser and also holds the business-audio option.
In fact, all the drives are on cards so that they can plug in without
using cables. The hard-drive cards can hold up to three 2-1/2-inch SCSI
drives. By plugging in two of these cards, you can pack this server with
six hard drives (plus the CD-ROM drive). You will need a second PCI SCSI
controller if you want to add the stacking SCSI expansion module, which
holds four 5-1/4-inch drives. Normally, it can run off the built-in SCSI
controller.
In terms of performance, the 100-MHz Series E suffered in comparison
with the 133-MHz IBM and Austin systems, but it performed
proportionately to its lower clock speed.
*Are You Running NT Software?*
PowerPC NT systems are priced very competitively with equivalently
configured x86-based systems, particularly when you consider that they
perform faster than the initial 150-MHz Intel P6 systems we've tested.
While NT allows running of 286-level 16-bit software under emulation,
that feature becomes increasingly less appealing as more 32-bit Windows
95 software arrives. To justify buying a RISC-based NT system, you must
not only require top performance with a major processor-intensive
application, but you must also be able to satisfy most of your software
needs with NT applications.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*COMPANY INFORMATION*
*Austin Direct PowerPlay2*
IPC Technologies
Austin, TX
(800) 752-1577
(512) 339-3500
fax: (512) 454-1357
http://www.ipctechinc.com
*Personal Computer Power Series 850*
IBM Personal Computer Co.
Somers, NY
(800) 772-2227
fax: (800) 426-4329
*PowerStack Series E 604-100P*
Motorola Computer Group
Tempe, AZ
(800) 759-1107, ext. PR
(512) 434-1526, ext. PR
http://www.mot.com/computer/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PowerPC System Features
* AUSTIN DIRECT IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER MOTOROLA POWERSTACK
POWERPLAY2 133 POWER SERIES 850 SERIES E 604-100P
==========================================================================
*
*Processor(s)/Memory
===================
CPU(s)/speed (MHz)*
Two PowerPC 604s/133 PowerPC 604/133 PowerPC 604/100
*Secondary cache (all direct mapped, write-back)*
512 KB split (will be 512 KB, synchronous 256 KB
shared in final
version)
*Memory bus width/speed*
128 bits/66 MHz 64 bits/66 MHz 64 bits/66 MHz
*RAM (standard/as tested/maximum, in MB)*
32/64/256, ECC 16/32/192, parity 32/64/256, parity
(ECC optional)
*Storage
=======
Hard drive*
One 1-GB Fujitsu M1606 One 1-GB IBM DPEA- Two 525-MB Toshiba MK2428FB
SAU 3.5-inch SCSI-2 31080 3.5-inch EIDE 2 1/2-inch SCSI-2
*CD-ROM drive*
Hitachi IDE (4x) IBM CRMC-FX400C3 Toshiba XM-4101B (2x)
IDE (4x)
*Drive bays*
Two accessible 5 1/4", Two accessible 5 1/4" Three 5 1/4- by 1"
two accessible 3 1/2" by 1", one 3-1/2" drive bays (two
floppy, two internal accessible), one
3-1/2" drives floppy
*Graphics
========
Graphics card*
Built-in Built-in Number Nine GXE64
Pro PCI graphics card
*Graphics processor*
Powerized Graphics S3 64-bit Vision864 S3 64-bit Vision964
128-bit L1A9403,
Philips SAA7196 video
decoder/scaler
*Video memory (as tested/maximum, in MB)*
6/6 VRAM (includes 2/2 DRAM 4/4 VRAM
2-MB video frame
store)
*Pixel clock maximum*
135 MHz 135 MHz 220 MHz
*Max. 24-bit resolution (refresh rate)*
1024 by 768 (75-Hz) No 24-bit driver 1280 by 1024, 76-Hz.
support
*Max. resolution (color depth, refresh rate)*
1280 by 1024 (16-bit, 1280 by 1024 (8-bit, 1600 by 1200 (16-bit, 76-Hz)
75-Hz) 72-Hz)
*Monitor*
17" Austin 17" IBM 17S/S Sight none
and Sound
*Optimal resolution (refresh rate)*
1280 by 1024 (70-Hz) 1280 by 1024 (77-Hz) not applicaple
*Dot pitch (mm)*
0.26 0.27 not applicaple
*Expansion interfaces/ports
==========================
Total slots*
Two 33-MHz PCI, two Two shared 33-MHz Three 33-MHz PCI
ISA (none shared) PCI/ISA, three ISA
(one half-length)
*SCSI*
Built-in PCI, 8-bit none Built-in PCI, 16-bit
Fast SCSI-2, internal (Wide) Fast SCSI-2,
and external connectors internal (8-bit) and
external (16-bit)
connectors
*Serial*
Two 9-pin 57.6-Kbps Two 9-pin 115.2-Kbps Two 9-pin 19.2-Kbps
asynchronous; two 26-pin
mini-D 1-Mbps synchronous
*Parallel*
One IEEE 1284 25-pin One IEEE 1284 25-pin One IEEE 1284 36-pin
high-density
*Networking
==========
Interface*
Built-in PCI Ethernet Built-in PCI Ethernet Built-in PCI Ethernet
(10Base-T) (10Base-T) (tested), thin-net,
or AUI)
*Pricing
=======
Price (as tested)*
$8295 (32 MB RAM)/ $5607 (32 MB RAM)/ $6869 (32 MB RAM)/
$9995 (64 MB RAM) $7303 (64 MB), $9279 (64 MB), no
monitor $1410 extra monitor
*Price includes*
CD-quality audio with Built-in 16-bit "busi- Optional "business" audio
speaker and mic, video- ness" audio with speaker (on floppy-drive card)
conferencing camera and mic
*Warranty*
3 years, parts & labor; 3 years, parts & labor; 5 years, parts & labor,
first year on-site; first year on-site depot; or 3 years on-site
lifetime 24-hour, 7-day (2-day response); or 1
tech support year on-site (best-effort
response) with 7-day,
24-hour phone support
*FCC Rating*
Class B pending Class A Class A
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Results: PowerPC 604 vs. The Other Guys
illustration_link (11 Kbytes)
/The BYTE cross-platform BYTEmark CPU test shows the PowerPC 604
favorably compared to other CPUs. The Austin PowerPlay2 604/133 trailed
the 133-MHz IBM Power Series 850 just slightly, due to the overhead of
managing two CPUs. /
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PhotoMorph Swirl Test
illustration_link (7 Kbytes)
/Two processors gave the PowerPlay2 a strong advantage in the PhotoMorph
Swirl test, but not in the MicroStation CAD test (results not shown),
where graphics controllers are a big factor. /
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Can Be Company, Too
photo_link (41 Kbytes)
/Two PowerPC 604 workstations and a server (from left to right):
Motorola's PowerStack Series E 604-100P server, Austin Direct's
PowerPlay2 604/133, and IBM's Power Series 850. /
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Look Ma, No Hands
photo_link (8 Kbytes)
/No screws, no cables. You can dismantle Motorola's PowerStack systems
down to the bare chassis without tools. /
------------------------------------------------------------------------
/*Dave Rowell is a BYTE technical editor who covers hardware. You can
reach him on BIX or the Internet at drowell@bix.com
. */
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright
© 1994-1996