Xref: utzoo comp.sys.amiga.tech:13092 comp.sys.amiga.hardware:2366
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!munnari.oz.au!moroka4!krooglik
From: krooglik@moroka4.ecr.mu.oz (Alex KROOGLIK)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: GVP 040 board
Summary: GVP 040
Message-ID: <4698@munnari.oz.au>
Date: 2 Jul 90 03:17:55 GMT
References: <2836@zipeecs.umich.edu>
Sender: news@cs.mu.oz.au
Distribution: na
Lines: 47

In article <2836@zipeecs.umich.edu>, gilgalad@dip.eecs.umich.edu (Ralph Seguin) writes:
> Does anybody know if GVP is working on an 040 board for the 2000?

  Even here in Australia we are told GVP is working on a 68040 board.
  Truth is, the only people that know for sure are Great Valley Products.

> What things will they have?

  If you are familiar with 68040 architecture, it is a turbo charged 68030.
  The 68040 runs somewhat faster than the 68030, it has much larger
  data and instruction caches, both running in at around 4K, and it also
  has a fair few of the 68881 maths co-processor instructions to reduce
  the familiary 'cpXXX' instructions.

  As for external caches, that remains to be seen. They could be emulated
  in software, but not even the fastest RAM chips could approach the speed
  of the internal cache.

> -a cheaper memory subsystem.  The current memory prices for the 030 boards

  Unfortunately, one of the reasons the 68030/040 run so fast is because they
  have extremely fast memory interaction. If you wanted 'plain old memory'
  chips, then I am afraid that would kind of defeat the purpose of a 68040.

> -booting off of 68000

  Most developers today, even ones here in Oz, have vanilla 68000 boot.
  I know, as you probably do also, that holding down both mouse buttons on
  the 2630 board enables you to choose your boot processor. It can also be
  done on a GVP board, but I can't remember how.

> -UNIX

  As far as I know, C= is currently arranging licensing agreements with
  two large UNIX distributors and developers. I am lead to believe they
  are Sun Corp and BSD (Berkeley). However, UNIX on the Amiga will be
  * EXPENSIVE * and will require a minimum of 2 megs of RAM, and 
  preferably 4 to even start resembling something on a Sun or the like.



I hope my humble Australian information has been of help to you.



    krooglik@moroka4.ecr.mu.oz.OZ.AU
             [128.250.64.1]