Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!oddjob!uxc!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!urbsdc!aglew From: aglew@urbsdc.Urbana.Gould.COM Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: separate integer and float regi Message-ID: <28200190@urbsdc> Date: 17 Aug 88 13:23:00 GMT References: <2724@wright.mips.COM> Lines: 12 Nf-ID: #R:wright.mips.COM:2724:urbsdc:28200190:000:542 Nf-From: urbsdc.Urbana.Gould.COM!aglew Aug 17 08:23:00 1988 >... what were the tradeoffs that went into the decision to make the >floating point and integer registers the same? [I didn't see the original post, just the quote in a reply] Another reason for making floating point and integer registers the same: you can use the mantissa multiplier of your FPU to do integer multiplication. Rather than having a true multiplier in your floating point unit, and multiply step instructions in your integer unit, as most RISC systems with separate integer and floating point units, and register sets, do.