Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!crash!pro-graphics.cts.com!pierre
From: pierre@pro-graphics.cts.com (Peter Altamore)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: A2630 questions
Message-ID: <1251@crash.cts.com>
Date: 21 Jan 90 08:56:06 GMT
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Lines: 33

I would like to address this letter to any and all Commodore technical staff
whomight be listening.  Recently I've been considering the purchase of the
2500/30 package offered by CBM through the education program.  However I have
certian reservations about the performance and possible future expansion of
such a system.  It's my understanding that the A2630 comes with 2 megs of RAM
soldered onboard and has room to solder 2 additional megs, to bring it up to 4
megs of 32-bit RAM.  It is also my understanding that the A2630 is an
asynchronous design that'll allow for the addition of an 030 that's faster
than the 25MHz one currently implemented.  I have 2 problems with this: [1]
How the heck am I supposed to upgrade beyond 4 megs of 32-bit RAM? [2] How can
I upgrade to a faster processor if adding faster RAM means soldering and
de-soldering sensitive and expensive RAM chips?  I need socketed RAM! or at
least SIMMs.  The first problem is the most pressing, I DO anticipate having
an 8 meg 030'ed machine by summertime and it seems like the A2630 won't be the
ticket.  I'm also having problems finding someone to reconcile some other RAM
considerations I have.  Is it possible to have an AT Bridgeboard AND and 030
card with 8 megs?  I realize that the AT Bridge takes up considerable 68000
address space.  Will peripherals that are on the 68000 bus (in the slots)
affect the amount of RAM that the 030 can use?  What will happen if I have 4
megs of 16-bit RAM AND 8 megs of 32-bit RAM?  What this all boils down to is
that the GVP 030 card seems like a much more logical and sound design (please
disspell this if it isn't true!
).  I've also 'heard' that the A2630 has wait states! Please tell me this
isn't true! I want the price that the Commodore solution provides, but it
seems like the product design (A2630) has been *seriously* compromised for one
reason or another. Thank you for your time.

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