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From: lamaster@pioneer.arpa (Hugh LaMaster)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: What with these Vector's anyways?
Message-ID: <2408@ames.arpa>
Date: Sun, 26-Jul-87 18:30:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: ames.2408
Posted: Sun Jul 26 18:30:04 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 26-Jul-87 22:42:54 EDT
References: <218@astra.necisa.oz> <142700010@tiger.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ames.arpa
Reply-To: lamaster@ames.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Lines: 40
Keywords: vector Cray Cyber CDC Cpu Supercomputers

In article <687@elmgate.UUCP> jdg@aurora.UUCP (Jeff Gortatowsky) writes:
>In article <2378@ames.arpa> lamaster@ames.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster) writes:
>[..............]
>>vectors.  If the vectors are not contiguous, then the advantage disappears.

>Could someone out there explain to me what the basic idea is behind 
>supercomputer CPU's?  I know what a interrupt vector is (ie an address

In the simplest terms, a "vector" computer is one which permits a single
CPU instruction to specify an operation on multiple operands.  The operations
may then proceed in parallel, or serially (usually using a "pipeline").  Many,
but certainly not all, engineering and scientific programs can be speeded
up on a machine with a vector instruction set.  

A vector machine is NOT the same thing as a SUPERCOMPUTER.  A supercomputer is
a loose term generally applied to this year's two or three fastest (usually
vector) or most expensive (:-) machines.  But there are now minicomputers with
vector CPU's and we can expect to see microcomputers with vector CPU's REAL
SOON NOW.  A vector micro might have a 100ns clock and a peak vector speed of
20MFLOPS, while a vector supercomputer might have a clock of 4ns, say (Cray 2)
and a peak speed of 500 MFLOPS.  If you are doing numerical simulations or
graphics you will probably benefit from a vector machine, even if it is "only"
a vector mini or micro.  







  Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9,  UUCP {seismo,topaz,lll-crg,ucbvax}!
  NASA Ames Research Center                ames!pioneer!lamaster
  Moffett Field, CA 94035    ARPA lamaster@ames-pioneer.arpa
  Phone:  (415)694-6117      ARPA lamaster@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov


                 "IBM will have it soon"


(Disclaimer: "All opinions solely the author's responsibility")"