Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!bpa!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Cheap memory upgrade for DEC 3100 (RISC) where ?
Message-ID: <10390@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 28 Mar 90 04:37:43 GMT
References: <4780@cbnewsl.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax (George Robbins)
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 35

In article <4780@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> ramesh@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (nallepilli.s.ramesh) writes:
> Hi! Could somebody let me know of a good third party source for memory
> upgrades to a DEC 3100 (RISC) workstation?  I have 8 MB and would like to
> upgrade to 24 MB.   DEC charges an arm and a leg for memory!

Clearpoint (508) 435-2000 makes RISC compatible SIMM's.  They aren't exactly
generic priced, but they were much cheaper than DEC.

There's nothing really special about the DS3100 SIMMs other than they do
contain a couple extra non-memory parts, meaning third parties can't buy them
direct from the chip manufactures and resell, so I'd expect most of the memory
upgrade "board" manufactures to make the special SIMMs as soon as they see
enough demand...

> In a similar vein I just purchased a WREN VI (600 + MBYTES) directly
> from Seagate for $1525 (ATT corporate rate?)  and got a cabinet/ power supply
> for $300.  It seems to work fine on the DS 3100. A glance at the DEC DIRECT
> catalogue reveals the amazing price for a similar drive of almost $10K.
> 
> Am I missing something here, or is DEC THIS EXPENSIVE ???

Disk drives are always a problem, since you can buy them on the open market
for a few percent above cost, yet DEC is going to expect to charge their normal
corporate markup *and* play games like "600 MB should cost 50% more than 300 MB
this year and maybe next year we'll let the price slide 20%"...

There's no real good solution except to buy third party or blind your eyes to
the "unreasonably low" open market prices.  Large buyer can probably negotiate
substantially better prices on something like this but the average customer get
to...

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,     uucp:   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing:   domain: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com
Commodore, Engineering Department     phone:  215-431-9349 (only by moonlite)