Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!freewill From: freewill@pawl.rpi.edu (Jenni L. Lexau) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: 286 w/co-processor vs. 386 price/performance ??? Message-ID: Date: 2 Nov 90 09:43:31 GMT References: <144365@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <13126@encore.Encore.COM> <7589.273089d7@uwovax.uwo.ca> Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY Lines: 25 Reasons why a 386sx is more usefull than a 286: 1. It's a lot easier to debug on a 386, if the debugger can run in 386 mode, because the debugger is (almost) transparent to the program. Crashed programs don't crash the debugger, and breaking on memory changes is much, much faster. 2. Windows 3.0 runs much better w/ DOS applications on a 386, even if you don't multitask. It allows better control of ports, cutting and pasting of text and graphics to and from DOS applications, termination of hung DOS applications, operation of DOS graphics applications, etc. 3. Multitasking might not be *needed*, but it can be damn handy. Handy for impatient people who always want their machine to be faster. 4. Number crunching software seems to run about twice as fast on a 387sx as a 287 of the same speed. (trig is faster) Quimby (quimby@rpitsmts.bitnet, quimby@mts.rpi.edu)