Dan Palka writes: >System 7.1.1 proved to be not just slower, but significantly slower in >several >key areas, the biggest being disk access. Speedometer reported that disk >access records were 143% in favor of 7.5.5. How could this be true?
Two words: Disk Cache. As Apple evolved the Mac OS, they added a disk cache with System 7.0 and make incremental improvement right up through Mac OS 9.2.x. In fact, the more efficient cache in 8.0 and above is one reason I like using OS 8 on Quadras. The other difference is probably much more significant. IIRC, and it's a long time since I've used a default 7.1 setup, the Mac OS only allocates a small (32K?) cache by default, whereas 7.5.x tends to set a larger one (64 or 96?). A bigger disk cache will make a world of difference when running a hard drive benchmark. I suggest you check the cache setting in the memory control panel, make sure it's the same, and rerun your tests. I suspect you'll find 7.5.5 a little faster, but probably not enough so to make any real world difference. Also, you'll probably find best results at 128k or 256k. -- Dan Knight, president, Cobweb Publishing, Inc. <http://cobwebpublishing.com> <http://lowendmac.com> <http://digital-views.com> <http://digigraphica.com> <http://lowendpc.com> <http://reformed.net> The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher regard those who think alike than those who think differently. -- Nietzsche -- Quadlist is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Quadlist info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/quadlist.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/quadlist%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
