conclusions
Results from the file transfer tests were rather surprising; we had expected the CD-ROM transfer speed to be lower than the hard drive speed, but this was only the case with the $600 computer.
Nevertheless, the performance of each computer in this test seemed fitting for its components.
The drives in the $2400 computer were able to attain such high transfer rates because of the extremely high bandwidth of the SCSI interface.
However, both the hard drive ($400) and the CD-ROM drive ($150) were relatively expensive compared to the IDE units found in the other two computers.
The second set of tests gave a good estimate of the differences in processing power between the three machines.
The time differences between renderings loosely matched the differences in clock speeds between CPUs; the 400 mhz processor rendered scenes roughly twice as fast as the 200 mhz model, while the 300 mhz CPU was in between.
Comparatively, the prices of these processors were less than proportional.
The AMD 300 mhz unit was bought for less than a quarter of the cost of the Intel 400 mhz model, giving it a more favorable ratio of price to performance.
The Quake 2 benchmarks revealed just how much of a performance increase a good 3d accelerator can offer.
The data from the software trials clearly shows how much slower the AMD K6-2 performed in comparison with the Intel Pentium II.
However, when the 3D Blaster II (based on the Voodoo2 chipset) was utilized in OpenGL mode, it produced framerates that were much greater, even at 800x600 resolution.
The $2400 computer was also able to use OpenGL, at least in 640x480 mode.
However, its first generation Voodoo Rush-based card produced less than satisfactory results.
A 3d accelerator can dramatically improve game performance, but at a high price.
At $170, the 3D Blaster was the most expensive part of the $1200 computer.
