Low End Mac Benchmarks

Mac Color Classic with Presto

Dan Knight - 1999.02.26 - Tip Jar

The Color Classic uses a 16 MHz 68030 CPU, but the Presto accelerator provides either a 25 MHz 68040 or a 68LC040 (a 68040 without a math section).

The 68040 is faster than the 68030 due to larger data caches (dual 4096 byte caches vs. dual 256 byte caches), runs internally at twice bus speed, and, in the full 68040, has math functions integrated into the CPU instead of on a separate 68882 math coprocessor.

The Sonnet Presto works in the Macintosh LC, LC II, Color Classic, and their Performa twins.

Remember that benchmarks are arbitrary. They measure certain types of performance that may or may not reflect the way you work.

This computer was also tested without the Sonnet Presto accelerator.

Speedometer 4.02

The system was first tested on 26 February 1999 under System 7.5.5 using the internal monitor in "thousands of colors" mode and with a 16 MHz 68882 math coprocessor installed. Results are relative to a Quadra 605, which rates 1.0. Numbers rounded off to two decimal places.

The first set of numbers compares performance at different cache settings without the accelerator.

cache  video   CPU  graphics  disk   math
 32KB  16-bit   0.25   0.23    0.86   1.94
 64KB  16-bit   0.25   0.23    0.89   1.94
128KB  16-bit   0.25   0.23    0.90   1.92
256KB  16-bit   0.25   0.22    0.75   1.93

The second set of numbers shows performance with the 25 MHz Sonnet Presto accelerator using the 68LC040, which lacks the math coprocessor. The only other difference is that the addtional VRAM and the math coprocessor were removed, so these tests were run in 8-bit mode.

cache  video   CPU  graphics  disk   math
 32KB   8-bit   0.82   0.47    0.89   4.19
 64KB   8-bit   0.82   0.47    0.88   4.19
128KB   8-bit   0.82   0.47    0.89   4.17
256KB   8-bit   0.82   0.47    0.85   4.18

Overall, CPU performance is almost 3.3 times faster, graphics performance is doubled, and, despite the handicap of no math coprocessor on the Presto, even math performance is more than doubled.

Because the CPU has very little to do with the hard drive, there is no significant change except at the 256 KB cache setting. At that setting, the Presto shows the same unexpected decline in disk performance, but to a lesser extent than with the original 68030 CPU.

Speedometer 4 was not tested at different video settings.

Go to the Color Classic profile.

Join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, use our Google+ page, or read our RSS news feed

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: PowerBook 5300, introduced 1995.08.25. The first PowerPC PowerBook - known for flaming performance.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Opinions expressed are those of their authors and may not reflect the opinion of Cobweb Publishing. Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all.
Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2013 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, Mac Pro, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it, and we don't share the information we have with others. For more details, see our Terms of Use.