QOTW #3: Megahertz Race
Time for yet another Question of the Week. Feel free to answer below or on your own blog if you prefer.
What was the megahertz speed of your first computer? What is the speed of your present computer? Have you ever owned a system with a “performance rating” instead of a MHz rating? Do you check your system speed to see if it really is running at the advertised speed?
I'm not sure, to be honest — I'd have to check to see what the TI 99/4A's specs where. My first PC compatible ran at 33 MHz, though (it was a Intel 486 DX).
My current PC runs at 2.66 GHz (but, to answer the last question, its actual speed is 2657.883). It's a Pentium 4 without Hyperthreading… HT boxen run at .06 less GHz. My Mac runs at 2.0 GHz (yes, that's the actual speed too).
I've never run a “performance rating” processor. Although, if I were building a DIY PC compatible at the moment, I'd be very tempted by the AMD Athlon 64. (Offtopic: Remember when Cyrix was trying to do a non-MHz rating in the mid-90's?)
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RE: QOTW: Megahertz Race
My first “PC” was an 1983 Intel PC. That was an 8086 chip? Slow, is what it was…
I had a PET computer before that. No idea what the specs were on it.
Present computer runs 3GHz.
I ran AMD chips in my desktops for a while. Those Athlons used “performance ratings”, didn’t they? The “XP1800+” was really a 1.53GHz, or something. It did benchmark to around a 2.0GHz intel chip.
I’ve tested past systems. I was even a bit of an overclocker for a while. These days, computers are fast enough (relative to the software and my computing needs) that a few MHz really isn’t going to make a difference.
RE: QOTW: Megahertz Race
our first “real” computer was a Comodore 64
… we had others prior to that, but i wouldn’t consider them “real” (Dad was a programmer since the 60’s) … I know that we had one that Dad was proud that he could finally buy a computer with 2MB of harddisk space … he didn’t have to save everything to a disk/tape (give my age away with that one? LOL).
My next one was an Apple IIe … then, I got a Compaq Something-or-other 286
My present computersssssss ….. A Dell 550MHz … a Gateway 450MHz … a Gateway 900MHz laptop (which I use the most) … an SMC wireless router and Linksys wireless cards … an HP Scanner/Copier/Fax … Brand Loyalty? What’s that?
Now, when were you going to come put Linux on my systems here at home?
RE: QOTW: Megahertz Race
The irony is what gave me the idea for this QOTW. Apparently owners of the new 1.5 GHz PowerBook are grumbling because they found out it is really a 1.499999994 GHz processor. It’s missing a whole .000000006 GHz!
Tony: I hated saving stuff to tape. Ick!
You definitely aren’t brand loyal at all are ya? I stick to Dell’s pretty consistantly, other than my Macs (and the little Shuttle XPC which I received essentially for half price, since I was given part of the components to build it). Dell sent me a thingy to sign up as a solution provider… I really should, ‘cuz I am always selling people Dells.
Not sure about coming out for Linux… that sounds like a bit of a trip. Especially since you have me walking there! Maybe I’ll get there by Christmas or so… if I walk fast and weather is good. Barring that, maybe its time I write an Linux step-by-step intro for asisaid readers.
RE: QOTW #3: Megahertz Race
Since you guys are throwing some oldies around, I’ll use my wife’s first. IBM PS2 486SX 33 with memory rated in Mega not Giga.
Thing still works great. Just used it to help someone convert their old 5 1/2 floppys to the newer 3 1/4. I was a EE major in college so I was always on a DEC term or a some other Unix box so I never needed (read could afford) one.
Recently, my first was a Dell 777MHz P3. I then built a Linux box that had a Cel 950Mhz. The Power supply blew and took everything with it. So we built up a machine so we could start editing film from our camcorder since the Dell has onboard video. PIV 2.6GHz HT enabled, and the Dell is now running Linux.
As for testing the ratings, haven’t done it.
RE: QOTW #3: Megahertz Race
Oh, you won’t want to be walking around Christmas . . . it’ll be snowing ………….. a lot.
Step by step doesn’t do me much good without the CD … now, does it?
RE: QOTW #3: Megahertz Race
Mark, I’m sorry to hear about your power supply. Did you figured out what caused it to blow?
Well, Tony, the CD’s are free for the download… (legally, if you don’t know…) although wait a week or two and I’ll see if the new Fedora Core is a good choice.
You have broadband, IIRC, right?
RE: QOTW #3: Megahertz Race
“Did you figured out what caused it to blow?”
Nope but we did opened it up and found numerous blown caps with plenty of black dust. I guess it was just time for it to move on to the great big PS heaven in the sky.
RE: QOTW #3: Megahertz Race
Was a 486/DX Toshiba Satellite notebook. Still have it and use it for a terminal to get into network devices like Cisco routers. Wish that battery wasn’t dead though.
At work, a 900Mhz mix and match and at home and HP Vectra 1 Ghz.
RE: QOTW #3: Megahertz Race
My first computer was a commador 64. So, this is my first real computer. Not sure on the speed.