The big story when comparing Pentium systems in this roundup for Unix performance is the lack of video drivers for SCO Unix. Because of this problem, the three 90-MHz systems were unable to run our Unix benchmarks. In addition, eight of the 16 60- and 66-MHz systems couldn't accommodate our SCO Unix- based tests. Although the Siemens Nixdorf PCE-5S ran the tests, the results were much slower than its architecture would suggest: Neither we nor the vendor could determine the cause during our test cycle.
Buyers should note that specialized high-speed video can make a great deal of difference in performance, but it can also block access to alternative operating systems. Most 64-bit graphics cards are brand-new and will eventually provide Unix support, however.
Among the systems that performed well under Unix, Tangent's 100-MHz PCI
5100 tower was the clear leader in both the BYTE and SPEC92 benchmarks. The ALR Evolution VQ 66 deserves special note, too. It runs both SPEC test suites markedly faster than the other 60- and 66-MHz systems. Its large tower case is well designed to provide easy access to components, which are sectioned off and protected by a door. Users who require a server will welcome this system's 13 drive bays and 10 slots. The documentation is good, as is overall ease of use.
Trailing behind the ALR Evolution, the DECpc XL 566 and the Data Storage P5-60 PCI provide respectable Unix performance in less expensive tower units. The Data Storage system supports its 60-MHz Pentium with a large (512-KB) secondary cache. For expansion, the $4495 tower provides nine drive bays--all easily accessible--and seven expansion slots. There are four unshared ISA and three PCI slots. As is typical in PCI designs, a fifth ISA slot shares space with one of the PCI slots and can't be used at the same time. The system's hard drive is
a 1-GB Seagate SCSI model. The DECpc and Data Storage systems also stand out from the leaders and from most of the pack with their relatively long (36 months) warranties.
Xinetron's X/Lan Pentium 66, a VL-Bus system, provides similar Unix results with a 24-month warranty. This $5299 tower provides its 66-MHz CPU with 512 KB of external cache. It also has a generous seven 5 1/2-inch drive bays; only ALR's Evolution VQ 66 provides more space for larger drives.
Rankings For This Category
UNIX
PERFORMANCE 60%
FEATURES 30%
EASE OF USE 10%
Want the fastest Pentium for Unix?
BEST OVERALL
Tangent PCI 5100
This unique VL-Bus and PCI tower runs away from the field in Unix performance tests, thanks in part to being one of only two faster-than-66-MHz systems to run our Unix benchmarks. The result: a BYTE Unix score almost double that of some 66-MHz Pentiums. The system offers 512 KB of secondary cache and 2 MB of VRAM on t
he Diamond video board (with a Power9000 chip set). Our test model used a 2-GB Seagate SCSI hard drive. The PCI 5100 leads this group in expandability. Its large tower case provides room for up to eight slots (six local bus) and nine drives. SIMMs are easily accessible. However, the CPU fan is positioned near the expansion slots and blocks three potentially full-length openings. Thorough and readable documentation makes configuration and use easy.
CASE UNIX PERFORMANCE
PRICE TYPE SPECINT SPECFP BYTE
BEST Tangent PCI 5100 $5621* *** 75.65 62.59 4.56
RUNNER-UP ALR Evolution VQ 66 $8817* *** 61.49 52.07 2.65
RUNNER-UP DECpc XL 566 $5948 *** 51.57 47.56 3.86
RUNNER-UP Data Storage P5-60 PCI $4495* *** 47.11 43.39 3.54
RUNNER-UP Xinetron X/Lan
Pentium 66 $5299 *** 54.33 45.21 3.41
EASE OF FEATURES
USE SCORE BUSES
BEST Tangent PCI 5100 4 3 ISA, VL**, PCI
RUNNER-UP ALR Evolution VQ 66 3 4 EISA, VL
RUNNER-UP DECpc XL 566 3 4 ISA, PCI
RUNNER-UP Data Storage P5-60 PCI 3 4 ISA, PCI
RUNNER-UP Xinetron X/Lan
Pentium 66 3 3 ISA, VL**
RAM (MB) HARD DRIVE
STD./MAX. (MB) VIDEO
BEST Tangent PCI 5100 32/128 2048, SCSI Diamond Power9000
RUNNER-UP ALR Evolution VQ 66 32/1024 1370, SCSI ATI Mach32
RUNNER-UP DECpc XL 566 32/192 1024, SCSI Diamond Viper PCI
RUNNER-UP Data Storage P5-60 PCI 32/192 1054, SCSI Tseng W32P
RUNNER-UP Xinetron X/Lan
Pentium 66 32/128 1052, SCSI ATI Mach32
* Withou
t monitor
** VL-Bus
KEY
Ease of Use:
Excellent 4
Good 3
Fair 2
Poor 1
Case:
Tower ***
Desktop ****
Mini-tower *****
For reliable Unix performance on a tight budget...
LOW COST
Swan Pentium 60
In this category, where we rank systems selling for under $5000, the $4299 Pentium 60 provides unspectacular but respectable Unix performance. The 3 1/2-inch drive bays partially obscure the SIMM sockets on the motherboard, but the drive bays themselves are accessible. For those who need faster speed and have a larger budget, the Data Storage P5-60 PCI had the highest Unix scores in
this group.
CASE UNIX PERFORMANCE
PRICE TYPE SPECINT SPECFP BYTE
BEST Swan Pentium 60 $4299 **** 46.55 41.62 2.82
RUNNER-UP Insight PCI P60 $3999 *** 45.73 41.08 3.22
RUNNER-UP
Data Storage P5-60 PCI $4495* *** 47.11 43.39 3.54
EASE OF FEATURES
USE SCORE BUSES
BEST Swan Pentium 60 3 3 ISA, PCI
RUNNER-UP Insight PCI P60 3 3 ISA, PCI
RUNNER-UP Data Storage P5-60 PCI 3 3 ISA, PCI
RAM (MB) HARD DRIVE
STD./MAX. (MB) VIDEO
BEST Swan Pentium 60 32/128 1024, SCSI Tseng ET4000W32P
RUNNER-UP Insight PCI P60 32/128 1052, SCSI ATI Mach32/68875
RUNNER-UP Data Storage P5-60 PCI 32/192 1054, SCSI Tseng W32P
* Without monitor
** VL-Bus
KEY
Ease of Use:
Excellent 4
Good 3
Fair 2
Poor 1
Case:
Tower ***
Desktop ****
Mini-tower *****
BYTE BEST: Unix
