I find it interesting to compare time taken to compile OpenBSD (kernel, userland and X.org) from source on different machines as a rough measure of relative performance. Some rough stats:
Lenovo ThinkPad X201
CPU: Intel Core i5-520M quad-core @ 2.40 GHz
Approximate build time: 2 hours
Apple iBook G4 (PowerBook6,7)
CPU: PowerPC G4 7447A @ 1333 MHz
Approximate build time: 7 hours
Lemote Yeeloong
CPU: Loongson 2F @ 796 MHz
Approximate build time: 20 hours
The iBook's result is particularly impressive, given that it's a single-core machine that was released several years before the Yeeloong.
So, FES, how often do you compile your OS and how long does it take?