Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!peck From: peck@ral.rpi.edu (Joseph Peck) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Amiga Competitiveness. Message-ID: Date: 28 Sep 90 17:26:14 GMT References: <1080@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au> <27015c2b-2d22.4comp.sys.amiga-1@tronsbox.xei.com> <1990Sep27.203058.601@sisd.kodak.com> Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY Lines: 43 In article <1990Sep27.203058.601@sisd.kodak.com> jeh@sisd.kodak.com (Ed Hanway) writes: >peck@ral.rpi.edu (Joseph Peck) writes: >>Here is another opinion on 68000 Amiga's. Why doesn't Commodore start >>shipping them with a 14Mhz 68000? The processor cost increase is less >>than $20, and the slight modifications to the motherboard should cost >>almost nothing. > >I doubt if it would be worth it. There are third-party boards that >piggyback a 14MHz 68000 + glue circuitry into the 68000 socket, and >I think their overall speedup is something like 10-20%. The problem is >that the rest of the machine (memory, custom chips, etc.) still runs at >7MHz (and changing that would be a _major_ redesign). That's why >Commodore's A2620 and A2630 accellerator boards have always come with >(relatively) high-speed 32-bit memory. > >IMHO, it takes at least a 50% speed increase for a machine to "feel faster." >Anything less isn't worth it unless you're running programs that take hours >or days at a time to run. > Hmmmm, like any of the raytracers for example? Or compiling large programs? So let's revise the statement to include only Amiga 2000's, on the basis that most of the 500's are bought for games. (I know, not everyone does, but the 2000 is supposed to be for "serious" work). Now, since the accelerator boards only advantage (aside from the better processor) is the memory, why can't we use a faster 16 bit memory board? If it can't go in the zorro slots, can't it use the CPU slot? I don't have the technical manuals for any of the amiga's (RKM manuals are much help here), so I could be way off base. In fact, the more I think about it, doesn't the 2500 come with 100ns memory chips? If those are fast enough for 25Mhz, shouldn't the 120ns chips in an 8UP! board be good enough for a 14Mhz 68000? Finally, even if it is only a 20% increase, 14Mhz would make a better marketing point, something that the Amiga needs..... >Ed Hanway >uunet!sisd!jeh Joe Peck peck@ral.rpi.edu