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From: mlord@bwdls58.bnr.ca (Mark Lord)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.intel
Subject: Re: Difference between a 386 and a 386sx
Keywords: 386 386sx
Message-ID: <4383@bwdls58.UUCP>
Date: 18 Sep 90 19:19:00 GMT
References: <1990Sep16.194605.11968@ecn.purdue.edu>
Sender: mlord@bwdls58.UUCP
Reply-To: mlord@bwdls58.bnr.ca (Mark Lord)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 26

In article <1990Sep16.194605.11968@ecn.purdue.edu> tlhilde@ecn.purdue.edu (Troy Hildebrand) writes:
>
>Can anybody help me with the difference between a 80386 and a 80386sx?  
>I have been warned _not_ to go with a 386sx when purchasing a computer,

Absolute foolishness..  The ONLY difference you care about,
is that a 386sx is slower than a 386dx.  Other than that, they behave
identically, and each will run any existing software for the 80386.

The 386sx is slower due to a narrower data path to memory, requiring
more cycles to move the same amount of data around.  It is also slower
because Intel does not yet sample this chip at the same speeds as the 386dx,
which results in 386sx systems running at 16Mhz/20Mhz, instead of 25/33 Mhz.

The SX can also not address as much memory as the DX, but it can certainly
handle 4Meg.. as much as 16Meg I believe (mine has 8Meg).

Software compatibility is guaranteed by the simple fact that no existing
software is even  ABLE to tell the difference!  Because there is none.
(it is theoretically possible to write code to distinguish, but nobody has
published it, and I'm not telling either!).
-- 
 ___Mark S. Lord__________________________________________
| ..uunet!bnrgate!mlord%bmerh724 | Climb Free Or Die (NH) |
| MLORD@BNR.CA   Ottawa, Ontario | Personal views only.   |
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