I've been trying to configure an HD image for Virtual II with the appropriate system software and hardware configuration. That's mostly working. Decided to take a break and see how fast (or not) the HP-71b, HP-75 and TI-74 Bascalc were, compared to the Apple II.

The fastest just using the plain old, built-in BASIC is the HP-75, coming in around 16s for 1000 square root operations on the first 1000 integers.

Taking second is the HP-71b at almost twice as long, about 31s.

Dead last, by a mile, is the TI-74 at 1m 43s!

The Apple II with Mahon's USR function is fastest at about 7s, but even Applesoft's SQR() beats the TI, taking about 50s to complete the test.

Now, there may be some optimizations I'm not making; but it's all pretty much a straightforward for-next loop with nothing happening inside the loop except finding the square root.

I'm puzzled because the TI was pretty competitive with the HPs on the other test, which I can't recall just now.

Something to play with.