Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!clyde.concordia.ca!IRO.UMontreal.CA!fasciano
From: fasciano@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Massimo Fasciano)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Buying a 386, please HELP!?!
Message-ID: <1990Aug17.194646.1776@IRO.UMontreal.CA>
Date: 17 Aug 90 19:46:46 GMT
References: <2366@dsacg2.dsac.dla.mil> <1249800002@S55.Prime.COM> <1990Aug17.180307.11017@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
Sender: news@IRO.UMontreal.CA
Reply-To: fasciano@philemon.UUCP (Massimo Fasciano)
Organization: Universite de Montreal
Lines: 30

In article <1990Aug17.180307.11017@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> mikew@proton.LCS.MIT.EDU (Michael B. Williams) writes:
>In article <1249800002@S55.Prime.COM>, CUMMINGS@S55.Prime.COM writes:
>|> 
>|> 386:  I would recomend a 386SX, especially if you plan on running
>MS-DOS on it.
>|>       Memory upgrades will be cheaper (because you can upgrade in 1/2 the
>|>       increments a full 386 needs (16 bit memory vs 32 bit memory).
>|> 
>
>You have GOT to be kidding.  There is NO difference between so-called
>``16-bit'' memory and ``32-bit'' memory; they are exactly the same thing
>and cost exactly the same amount.  In fact, the term ``16-bit memory''
>is a misnomer; it actually refers to memory that is accessed 16 bits at
>a time.  If you access it 32 bits at a time (via the motherboard, EISA
>or MCA bus) it instantly and magically becomes ``32-bit memory.''
>
>______________________________________________________________________
>Michael B. Williams		      |	       /|  /|   )  /|  /   

 I think you misunderstood, he meant that on a 386SX board, you update
 memory 16bits at a time and on a 386DX you update it 32 bits at a time
 which means that on a 386SX, you can add 2 Megs of 1Meg SIMMs, which
 is impossible on a 386DX (1Meg or 4Meg). To put 2 Meg on a 32 bit
 386DX, you have to use 2 banks of 256K SIMMs.

					Massimo

--

Massimo Fasciano (fasciano@iro.umontreal.ca)