Huh? How fast an FPGA is depends on what it is programmed to do. Yes, an FPGA will be slower than an ASIC, and that will be slower than raw silicon. But we don't have any.
Yet, technology advanced, and an FPGA can be programmed to be faster than raw silicon back then. That's not surprising.
What might be interesting in how far the FPGA hardware "emulation" performs compared to a software emulation on top of a PPC. I wouldn't hold my breath, but my best guess is that the FPGA is here the better option.
OK...now you have managed to confuse me.
Yes, faster, like ALL modern silicon, FPGAs have benefited from a reduction in process.
So, to give you a crude example, I can run a 6809 in a CycloneIII based system (like my Altera DE-1) at 25 MHz.
Fastest legacy compatible?
The 63C09 which is listed at 3 MHz (although I run those at 3.58, and some have them clocked at 4 MHz or higher).
680x0?
Exactly the same. Slow in legacy hardware, faster in newer FPGA based designs.
So crediting Gunnar for the speed of the device is completely deceptive.
And we haven't even addressed the ability to do things in in the FPGA re-implementation that weren't done in the legacy design (these are factors you CAN credit Gunnar for some of, and frankly, they are more important).
So...yes, when running older designs via FPGA there will always be improvement.
Newer designs?
Always a performance reduction.
Any other issues, Thomas?
BTW - FPGA emulation versus the use of a higher end cpu?
I want to know about that answer too.
The factors are complex.
The speed of a newer cpu would be uniformly much higher, but as someone who has had a hand in 6809 emulation under the 68000, I can tell you there is a great deal lost in the interpretation and translation.
However...I wouldn't get ready to inflate yourself at this point as we are talking about FPGAs that only run at about 10% of the speed of dedicated silicon.
Would a Vampire based system beat a PPC in the execution of 68K code?
My guess is that it would be closer to a draw.
Then there are the legacy Amiga elements outside the cpu that the FPGA provides for.
That will get really interesting when it come to comparisions.
However, a decent PC running something like UAE would probably have some advantages in a few areas (and the Vampire would in others).
Again, too complex to address in theory, lets benchmark.
Oh, sorry, one last thing.
What would the Apollo core manage in an ASIC?
Now there is an interesting proposal.