Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ames!amdcad!sun!imagen!atari!portal!portal!cup.portal.com!Duel From: Duel@cup.portal.com (Omid M Farr) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Brain-dead 286 - summary Message-ID: <27842@cup.portal.com> Date: 13 Mar 90 01:37:58 GMT References: <8681@rosevax.Rosemount.COM> <29405@amdcad.AMD.COM> <17965@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <38299@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <25F9E2B6.20389@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> Distribution: usa Organization: The Portal System (TM) Lines: 15 After reading some debate on this topic of the 286 vs. 386, I've come to wonder what is the advatange of the 486 today? I don't think we can expect much software to come out for the 486 specifically this year, so is there really an advantage to owning and using a 486? If a 386 runs software made for the 286 (assuming they are at the same clock rate) at similar speeds, then I take it the 386/486 would follow the same pattern. So this is what I think is going on, Please correct me if I am wrong... A 25 MHz 486 can run software written for the 386 specifically, but a 25 MHz 386 would run the same program at about the same speed, meaning a 486 really doesn't (today) have any advantages unless you intend on writing software for it. Is this true? Or does the rule apply only to 286/386? Thanks.