Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: THIRD PARTY HARDWARE FOR DECSTATIONS
Message-ID: <13881@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 19 Aug 90 06:28:23 GMT
References: <1990Aug17.212412.3305@midway.uchicago.edu>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax (George Robbins)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 53

In article <1990Aug17.212412.3305@midway.uchicago.edu> phd_jacquier@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes:
> Well, I have done some research on workstations and find myself a bit
> less ignorant than last week about the DEC-Station 3100/5000, thanks to
> net-answers to my question.
> 
> About prices: I am amazed by the price difference with the SUN-SS1+, not for 
> the base systems which are comparable, BUT FOR THE ADD-ONS.
> Namely:		Cost of RAM		1200/4MB  vs 960/8MB for SS1+
> 		Cost of Hard-Drive	4500$/665MB vs 2800$/665MB SUN
> 						and 1900$/665MB Fuji
> 		Cost of TAPE-DRIVE	1750$/95MB vs 880$/130MB SUN
> 
> (These prices are after academic discounts)

Be sure to get DEC to quote with the understanding they won't get the sale
unless they are competitve with Sun.  You have nothing to lose and they may
(or may not) come up with some rather imaginative discounts.

> 1) Can I buy and install third-party SCSI hard drives (FUJI) ?

Yes.

> 2) Can I buy and install third-party tape drives ?

3rd Party 8MM tapes are widely used, but make sure your vendor commits to
make it work on the 3100 or your money back...  (same with disks for that
matter...)

> 3) RAM: Has anybody try to stick third-party or SUN 4MB RAM in a decstation.
>    I was told that if the 3100 is limited to 24MB, it's because NEC only has
>    1MB chips.  What would happen if I put third-party 4MB chips? 

The DS3100 uses special non-standard SIMMS (they have some kind of bus buffers
on them).  They are available from many of the usuall add-on memory supplies.

There were rumors that 4M-bit chips would allow memory expansion beyond the
24M-byte limit, but I've never seen any proof of it.  I would have expected
someone to have at least given it a try, and it`s quite possible that there
are architectural or other configuration restrictions that would keep it
from being a plug in the chips deal.

The 24M-byte is enough for many workstation uses - if you're planning on
something heavy-duty, it makes more sense to look at the DS5000 series.
> 
> Thanks a lot for the information.
> 
> Eric  


-- 
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)