Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!sun-barr!decwrl!kaputt.dec.com!neideck
From: neideck@kaputt.dec.com (Burkhard Neidecker-Lutz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: 3100 mix and match
Message-ID: <8911291905.AA19444@decwrl.dec.com>
Date: 29 Nov 89 19:05:12 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 16

Brian V. Smith writes:

>>> What were the reasons for not using the GPX processor in the DS3100?
>>> To go to a dumb frame buffer driven by the CPU seems like a giant step
>>> backward.

One reason was that it was cheaper and faster to develop this way and the
other (mayor) reason is that this actually is 2-4 times *faster* than
using the GPX chip set. For monochrome the choice was clear, we weren't
so sure about the color case at first. Turns out that with the sole
exception of scrolling the dumb frame buffer with CPU is faster than
the GPX hardware by large amounts. 

Take a look at a DECstation 3100 running UWS2.1 (or 2.2...).

	Burkhard Neidecker-Lutz