Accelerator Speeds

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To better track IIe Accelerator testing this page has been created. Please update the table below with your findings.

As with any page on this Wiki, use the Discussion page (link above) to discuss your findings or related topics.


History

There were many accelerators for the Apple II over the years. Their speeds and processing ability have all been highly debated. This page was created to help document their test results, and may be updated by the Community.

On July 4th, 2017 Plamen Vaysilov (Пламен Вайсилов) modified SpeedTest for the IIe to use a No Slot Clock to more carefully time tests.


Software With Accelerator Issues

These titles are known to have issues with some accelerators.

  • PublishIt! v3


Antoine Vignau set up a spreadsheet with current known software issues for the FASTChip //e.

For the FASTChip //e to work correctly in 16 bit native mode (816 enabled) the CPU >MUST< be removed from your motherboard.
The FASTChip //e's compatibility with the Apple II/II+ is not guaranteed (page 26 of the manual).

Downloads / Software

As other software is written it will be posted here and the comparison charts updated / added.

SpeedTest Notes: All times are in SECONDS. TIME column is the time in seconds the test takes on YOUR system. RELATIVE column is how many times faster your test results are compared to a stock IIe. Higher scored INDEX tests are better. Lower scored READ/WRITE tests are better.


NOTE: To correctly test the UltraWarp you must do the following steps BEFORE testing.

  • Boot SpeedTest disk and load the SpeedTest program.
  • From the SpeedTest menu exit to BASIC.
  • Type CALL-151 and press Enter.
  • Type C081 and press Enter.
  • Type C081 again and press Enter. (both times are required)
  • Type D000<D000.FFFFM and press Enter.
  • Type C083 and press Enter.
  • Type 9DBFG and press Enter to get back to BASIC.
  • Type RUN to restart the SpeedTest program.

If you are testing an UltraWarp and do not perform these steps the program may not work correctly.

Accelerator Comparison

Accelerator Speed Results Using "SpeedTest" for the II/+/e/c.
Notes: Some IIe systems may be slightly faster than others.
Running the SpeedTest program from a Mass Storage controller can influence some testing.
All testing should be done from a floppy disk for most consistent and accurate results to the chart.
A No Slot Clock is required for accurate test results.
All Times In Seconds //e
1.024MHz
IIc+
4MHz
AE TransWarp
3.6MHz
AE TransWarp][
7MHz
FastChip //e*
16.6MHz
FastChip //e*
20MHz
McT SpeedDemon
Accelerator II
McT SpeedDemon
Accelerator IIe
Titan Technologies
Accelerator IIe
UltraWarp V1.91G
16.6MHz
ZIPChip
4 Mhz
ZIPChip
8 Mhz
CPU Index 1 3.605 3.083 5.760 15.23 17.61 3.150 3.160 2.970 13.59 3.782 6.022
Text Index 1 2.301 1.338 4.000 2.048 2.014 2.201 2.229 1.327 1.375 2.495 3.180
Video Index 1 3.632 2.519 5.822 5.086 5.184 3.229 3.274 2.310 4.365 3.925 6.130
ABOVE Scores: Larger=Better / BELOW Scores: Smaller=Better
Memory Read 119.2 32 37 18 7 6 36 37 38 8 30 17
Memory Write 119.2 34 59 30 29 51 41 41 63 52 32 31
Memory Read
(Zero Page)
119.6 32 37 18 7 6 37 36 38 7 30 17
Memory Write
(Zero Page)
119.6 34 37 37 7 6 43 43 38 7 41 35
Indirect References 124 35 40 20 8 7 39 39 41 13 33 19
Branch Calculations 119.3 32 37 18 7 6 37 36 38 0 30 17
Register Variables 83.3 24 26 13 5 4 26 26 27 6 21 12
Instruction Fetch 114 31 35 17 7 6 35 35 37 8 30 17
CPU Instruction Mix 114 33 35 21 7 6 35 35 37 7 30 20
Direct Text Writes 115 36 67 24 43 43 38 37 67 63 34 26
Direct Text Writes #2 118 37 68 24 43 43 38 38 69 65 35 26
BIOS Text Write 117 224 208 51 161 187 247 246 211 241 232 202
Direct LoRes Writes 118 32 51 21 25 21 36 36 54 36 30 20
High-Res Memory Writes 114.5 32 42 19 21 18 36 35 47 21 29 18

*FastChip //e posted results were reported by designer prerelease. Since its release they have NOT been able to be independently verified by any user and have consistently been lower than what is posted. Several users have emailed ReActiveMicro about this and we are aware of it.
For the FASTChip //e to work correctly in 16 bit native mode (816 enabled) the CPU >MUST< be removed from your motherboard.
The FASTChip //e's compatibility with the Apple II/II+ is not guaranteed (page 26 of the manual).


AppleSqueezer

In 2022 AppleSqueezer was released. There are still no official test scores related to the above comparisons and if/when someone reports their results the table will be updated. Here is a user review of a real world comparrision of the AppleSqueezer vs TransWarp GS at the stock speed of 16MHz.

Apple IIGS Accelerator Showdown

There have been several limitations reported with the AppleSqueezer project. First and foremost was its DMA limit. No DMA is possible when the AppleSqueezer is installed. So the MicroDrive, Apple HighSpeed SCSI, RAMFast SCSI, VidHD, and several AE RAM Cards won't work if the AppleSqueezer is installed. So you lose all speed benefits that DMA can offer. This is no simple "update" that can fix with this the AppleSqueezer project as it needs connection to the slots to sense the DMA signal.

Second, due to the size of the AppleSqueezer it blocks slots 2 to 4 and almost no cards can be installed in those slots as they would hit or contact the AppleSqueezer.

Lastly, the motherboard CPU male mating header on the AppleSqueezer is a round male pin variety. These pins are at least 18mils wide and are outside the recommended mating spec with motherboard CPU dual wipe socket. So the CPU socket is "stretched" and there is a good chance that once you remove the AppleSqueezer the CPU or TransWarp CPU Cable will no longer mate well, or at all.