Our next project when it's released will require at least a Pentium machine...

So I would like to be able to optimize our application with the Pentium
instruction set...  but the question comes up..    is celeron and athlon or
K-6... all compatible with the Pentium instruction set?

- Tolga
Systems Administrator
Post Time Research
-----------------------------
(   ICQ# 28264566   )

I'm running an Athlon 500 on which I've compiled BCB 1, 3 and 4
programs. It also runs, without problem, every s/w package (including
graphics intensive games) I've run on Intel CPUs. Unless you use
undocumented features of Intel's instruction set (unwise at best), I
can't imagine you'll run into compatibility problems.
If you're still concerned, contact AMD and ask or, appropriate an AMD
machine and test, test, test.

: "Tolga Balci" <administra...@itsposttime.com> wrote:

Yes.

But allow a hint: don't do it. While your software might run a BIT faster
on an Intel Pentium CPU, it might start crawling on EVERY other machine -
including Intel Pentium III, Intel Pentium II, Intel Celeron, AMD Athlon
(K7), AMD K6-3, AMD K6 II, AMD K6 and all other niche CPUs there are.

Why? Because the Pentium optimizations are specific to the Pentium and
harm performance on CPUs that execute instructions out-of-order - like the
ones above. Just stick to your 386 optimizations.

And in case you decide to use P5 optimizations, be sure to profile your
application on every single CPU you want to deploy to.

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: Gary Vennie <gven...@compuall.com> wrote:

Downloading the processor documentation suffices.

--
General information:
  * Post to the right group - http://www.borland.com/newsgroups/
    * Do not cross- or multipost
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Stefan Hoffmeister - http://www.econos.de/
(TeamB - http://www.teamb.com/)

Never trusted documentation completely. Of course, being in aerospace
may have biased my opinion.