According to your performance ratings, the Power Mac 7200/75, with its 75-MHz processor, is roughly 10 percent slower than the 6100/66av for processor and business tasks ("Power Macs: The Sequel," October '95, page 84). I would hardly call this an "outstanding performer." It seems like a step backward!
Clif Davies
via eWorld
Much of the speed difference between the 6100/66 and the 7200/75 can be attributed to the Level 2, or L2, cache, which shipped standard on the 6100/66 but is available only as an option (for about $200) on the 7200/75. The 15-to-20-percent performance boost the L2 cache normally provides would allow a 7200/75 to handily outrace a 6100/66. We called the 7200 models "outstanding performers" in the context of price/performance, and we stand by that declaration.
--JSA
I'm getting confused here: Your May '94 article ("Power Macs: Full Speed Ahead," page 76) says that a Power Macintosh 7100/66 with an AV card is considerably slower than one without. But then all your benchmarks in "Power Macs: The Sequel" indicate that a 7200/75 is slower than a 7100/80av. So would I do better to buy an old 7100/80 without AV than to buy a 7200/75?
Charles Kuttner
ChKuttner@aol.com
As would be expected from a chip with a higher clock speed, the 7100/80 offers a slight speed boost over the 7200/75, and the effect is underscored by the presence of a Level 2 cache, which comes standard on the 7100/80. Speed isn't everything, however: The 7200/75's PCI expansion slots are a significant advantage over the 7100's NuBus slots, since NuBus-card offerings are sure to dwindle as time goes on.
