Inside the StarCore SC110
A BDTI Technical Evaluation
An independent, in-depth analysis of the StarCore
SC110, a low-power VLIW single-MAC DSP core jointly developed by Agere and Motorola.
This report provides a comprehensive qualitative analysis
of the processor's architecture and features, along with a complete quantitative
analysis based on results from BDTI's DSP benchmark suite. The SC110's performance
is compared to that of key competitors, with benchmark results analyzed
in terms of underlying architectural strengths and weaknesses.
Like all of the reports in the series, Inside the StarCore SC110:
- Is based on hands-on programming experience
- Includes industry-standard BDTI Benchmark™ results
- Identifies processor strengths and weaknesses
- Compares performance to that of key competitors
- Provides timely information from the established leader in DSP technology
analysis
Report includes analysis of the SC110's:
- Architecture
- Data path
- Instruction set
- Execution control
- On-chip debugging support
- Benchmark performance
- Fabrication details
- Development tools
- Applications support
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- About the authors
- Qualitative Analysis of the SC110
- Overview of competitors
- Motorola DSP5685x
- Texas Instruments TMS320CC55xx
- StarCore SC140/Motorola MSC8101
- Analysis and comparison of benchmark results
- Conclusions
- Appendix: Contains complete BDTI Benchmark results for SC110 and competitors
Excerpts from BDTI's analysis:
Although the pipeline of the SC110 is fairly simple, there are a number
of multi-cycle instructions—including all bit mask unit instructions.
These instructions slow the execution of the entire execution set in which
they are grouped. It should be noted, however, that these instructions were
rarely used in the BDTI Benchmarks™ and had a minimal effect on the
processor’s benchmark results. Hence, it is likely that they will not
significantly detract from the processor’s performance in typical DSP
applications.
The SC140 contains a 128-bit program data bus and two 64-bit data memory
buses. Therefore the SC110 can achieve only half the on-chip memory
bandwidth of the SC140 at the same clock speed. However, since the SC110
contains a quarter of the SC140’s 16-bit execution units, the ratio of
memory bandwidth to execution units is much better on the SC110 than the
SC140. With few exceptions, the on-chip memory bandwidth of the SC110 is
more than sufficient to keep its execution units filled, as illustrated by
the SC110’s BDTI Benchmark™ results.
Sample Benchmark results
BDTI Real Block FIR - Execution Time in microseconds
(lower is faster)
BDTI's Inside Series
Inside the StarCore SC110 is part of BDTI's continuing series of focused
reports on single processors. The series also includes:
The BDTI Benchmarks™
The analysis in Inside the StarCore SC110 is based on the results
of the BDTI Benchmarks, an industry-standard suite of DSP algorithm kernels.
Each benchmark is painstakingly written and optimized in native assembly
language following a strict specification.
Pricing, Shipping, and Ordering Information
First copy: $1,500
Additional copies: $650 each
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Orders may be placed with payment by check, purchase order, or credit card.
To order Inside the StarCore SC110, download an order form in HTML or PDF, complete and return it to BDTI by mail or fax.
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