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.