When you have embedded tasks to do within a timeframe, you have to do your research, especially if you do not have time come up to speed on a new microcontroller, only to dicover it will not get the job done. Assembly code can be faster than C code, if you do it correctly, but you can write and debug more C code in a block of time. Some expert assembly code writers with years of experience may be an exception. C code is pretty good these days. In terms of speed, when a microcontroller can not get the job done, FPGA's, and other kinds of programmable logic is a direction to consider. To decide if any microcontroller may be fast enough, select one with a high clock speed and dig into the documentation. It will take from 1 to 3 days to qualify one, and you'll probably write some of your code "on paper" only in the process. MIPS is a benchmark to help qualify your task to the right programmable device. David