Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!decwrl!bacchus.pa.dec.com!granite.pa.dec.com!mwm From: mwm@raven.pa.dec.com (Mike (Real Amigas have keyboard garages) Meyer) Subject: Re: Real System Comparisons In-Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com's message of 27 Jul 90 02:03:14 GMT Message-ID: Sender: news@wrl.dec.com (News) Organization: Missionaria Phonibalonica References: <13466@cbmvax.commodore.com> Distribution: usa Date: 9 Aug 90 13:14:06 Lines: 73 Ok, back to the original. I went out and got actual prices... In article <13466@cbmvax.commodore.com> daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) writes: PC Equivalent for A3000: - 80386DX @ 25MHz - 80387DX @ 25MHz - Slot for low cost 80486 add-in At A3000 price levels, the 386 + 486 add-in is a waste. The problems with EISA slots makes it worse. I blew it off, and went with a 486 system with a socket for the Wietek 4167 - 2 Megs basic, 16 Megs total 32 bit memory - 31kHz Video (plain VGA will do) - Unoccupied serial and parallel ports All done. In fact, there are more serial ports than on the 3000. - On board 32 bit DMA-driven hard disk controller Well, Dave says that ESDI won't do for this, and nobody I talked to had systems with on-board SCSI. I went with a SCSI card in the EISA slot instead. - EISA bus with at least four slots Got 6, but the SCSI went into one. The above system, quoted from MA Laboraties, Inc. in San Jose is $3140, without the monitor. That includes the 40MB SCSI disk that CBM insists you buy. - Microsoft or similar mouse $69 from Central Computer Systems in Santa Clara. - Microsoft Windows 3.0 $95 from ditto. That brings it to $3304, which is the configuration I'd buy if I went that way. Of course, if I dropped the Amiga, I'd go with a DECStation, but that's another story. Add in the Wietek chip for about $450 (couldn't find the quote) brings it up to A3000/25-40 price levels. Except it's got about twice the CPU of the system you asked for. Well, that's the best equivalent I can cook up. It's far from perfect, but then, an exact equivalent is impossible. I don't think anything's way off base here; if so, flame away. Arbitrary flame: I think this is about as meangingful as measuring MIPS (but it is entertaining!) More meaningful flame: You're crippling the IBM clone by asking for a 386 upgradeable to a 486. If I were looking at buying a system and considering the A3000, I'd be looking at '486 systems instead. Anyway, does such a beast exist? Apparently not. SCSI on the motherboard doesn't seem to exist, and you've said ESDI won't do instead. Got any other suggestions? What would it cost? Around $3000, or can you get a Taiwan Special with all this stuff for $1500 as lots of people seem to think. Well, I can get something that is identical to that system for _my_ purposes for between $1500 and $2000. Except that it's completely unsuitable for my purposes for other reasons. For around $3000, I get a system with more CPU punch, but otherwise comparable to what CBM sells for $4000.