Hi everyone, this is an old question i never get it right...
In Amiga Accelaratores, we have the 1230/1240/1260...
you can find 1230 at 25/33/50 mhz (?)
you can find 1240 at 25/28/33/40 mhz (?)
yout can find 1260 at 50/66/75 mhz (?)
So...
apart from the memory, i have and Blizzard 1230 mkiv 50mhz, so what is the diference betwee my 1230 at 50mhz and a 1260 at 50mhz?... i know the price of a 1260 is much higher... but what is the diference?
the same with the 1230 50mhz vs 1240 40mhz... the 1240 has a higher price..
[Reply]
Although the actual clock speeds are similar, much like newer PC Intel and AMD CPUs, with each new version the actual processors are more efficient and can process more data faster at the same frequency.
As an example, using sysinfo on the Amiga, if I compare my A1200 with Blizzard 1230 MKIV (68030 at 50MHz) against my A4000/40 (68040 at 25MHz), the A4000 is actually 1.5 times faster than the A1200, even though the clock speed of the 040 is half that of the 030 CPU.
The 68060 is the fastest 68K processor that was made and gives a similar leap again in processing power, so a 68060 at 50MHz will be a lot faster than any 030, and also at least 2x faster than an 040.
I hope that answers your questions.
So the reason for them being more expensive is because they are much faster. Also worth noting is that the 030 is the most compatible CPU for the Amiga, and will run the majority of all Amiga software. The 060 is very close to the same compatibility as the 030, but much faster and much more expensive. That leaves the 040 which isn't as compatible as any of the other CPUs in the range, and it also can run much hotter than any other so is not suitable for a desktop A1200 case as it often needs a heatsink and fan fitted. The 060 in contrast can normally get away with no cooling or a slimline heatsink only and can normally run fine in a desktop case.
I would love an 1260 blizzard in one of my A1200's but they fetch over £300 these days with is silly money for a hobby, and I could build a new PC for that.
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The different processors have different instruction sets. The 060 has a much more optimised instruction set which is where a good deal of the speed comes from.
I had a Blizzard 1260 @ 50MHz and didn't need any kind of heatsink, used it successfully for years with no issues. I thought that the 030 was less compatible. My experience was that the 060 was able to handle virtually the same as an 68000/020, which was one of its attractive features for people wanting to upgrade but not have compatability issues with their existing games and software.
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