Differences

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--- blog:386_shootout_fic [2021/05/17 10:59] – [Conclusion] john
+++ blog:386_shootout_fic [2021/05/17 21:12] (current) – [Final Thoughts] john
@@ Line 182: / Line 182: @@
 {{:blog:386:img20210504195230.jpg?500|}} {{:blog:386:img20210504194809.jpg?500|}}
+===== Case Setup =====
+{{:blog:386:img_2055.jpg?600|}}
 ===== Speed Testing & Tuning =====
@@ Line 486: / Line 490: @@
 ===== Conclusion =====
-== CPU ==
+=== CPU ===
 Synthetic CPU/FPU scores from Landmark:
@@ Line 496: / Line 500: @@
 {{:blog:386:fic386sc_dhry.png?500|}} {{:blog:386:fic386sc_whet.png?500|}}
-== Disk IO ==
+=== Disk IO ===
 HDD transfer speed ratings from CheckIt:
@@ Line 502: / Line 506: @@
 {{:blog:386:fic386sc_diskio.png?500|}}
-== Memory & Cache ==
+=== Memory & Cache ===
 Results for CPU cache, motherboard cache and main memory throughput from Comptest:
@@ Line 508: / Line 512: @@
 {{:blog:386:fic386sc_ram2.png?500|}}
-== Gaming ==
+=== Gaming ===
+Results from Wolfenstein 3D //special benchmark version//, as well as 3DBench:
 {{:blog:386:fic386sc_wolf3d.png?500|}} {{:blog:386:fic386sc_3dbench.png?500|}}
-{{:blog:386:fic386sc_gaming_doom.png?500|}} {{:blog:386:fic386sc_gaming_combined.png?500|}}
+Results from the //Doom -timedemo 3// game benchmark:
+{{:blog:386:fic386sc_gaming_doom.png?500|}}
+Combined results of all gaming benchmarks:
+{{:blog:386:fic386sc_gaming_combined.png?500|}}
+==== Final Thoughts ====
+   * Testing proves that the Cirrus Logic card is **as-fast-as** or **faster-than** the Tseng Labs ET4000AX in every real-world benchmark. That's no surprise as it's a much later design.
+   * The Am386DX-40 really doesn't benefit much from the ISA overclock to 13MHz; in Doom it is clearly the processor that is by far the most restrictive element.
+   * The Tx486DLC-40 going from cpu cache-disabled to the default cpu cache-enabled setting results in a **12%** improvement in Doom low-detail frame rates and **13%** in high-detail.
+   * The Tx486DLC-40 going from cpu cache-disabled to the most optimised cache-enabled setting results in a **17%** improvement in Doom low-detail frame rates and **a staggering 35%** improvement at high-detail.
+   * Boosting the ISA clock from 10MHz to 13MHz with the DLC brings just a **1%** improvement to Doom low-detail frame rates (to be expected, since we're not pushing many pixels!) but more than **6%** in high-detail. In certain benchmarks this is noticeable, but in the real world many ISA cards would be way out-of-spec at such a setting; in that case the 10MHz ISA clock is a good, stable increase over the ISA 'default' standard of ~8MHz.
+   * From non-optimised cache-enabled settings to most-optimised shows gains over just under **5%** in low-detail modes and **19%** in high-detail Doom timedemo results. //Who wouldn't want a free 19% of extra performance!//
+This is a really nice 386DX board - it has plenty of expansion slots, supports up to 256KB of cache, and natively detects and supports the DLC-series of 386-486 processors from Cyrix and Texas Instruments. To get the best performance from the DLC processors you really must use the //cyrix.exe// cache control utility as the basic support from the motherboard BIOS really does not let it shine.
+With the MR BIOS ROM fitted there are a good range of optimisation settings available and it performs well (very well, in fact) at virtually every setting. At the most-optimised settings with the 486DLC-40 and a Cirrus Logic GD5428 it equals the best recorded scores for other DLC-supporting 386 motherboards and is within a hairs breadth of full 486DX-33 systems.
+For folks who had a 386 originally, the upgrade path of this board to the DLC processors would have been very, very tempting.
+At some point I would like to try to find a Tx486SXL-40 or Tx486SXL2-50, since they contain 8KB of cache compared to the 1KB of the DLC. But other than that, this is about as far as you can really go with a true 386 design.
 (Go back to the [[blog:386_pc|386 PC main page]])