Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!spool.mu.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!twg.com!david From: david@twg.com (David S. Herron) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: A3000UX - Born to run UNIX SVR4 Message-ID: <8652@gollum.twg.com> Date: 16 Feb 91 21:47:08 GMT References: <1519@pdxgate.UUCP> <43948@ut-emx.uucp> <1991Feb10.003013.18133@Neon.Stanford.EDU> Organization: The Wollongong Group, Palo Alto, CA Lines: 38 In article <1991Feb10.003013.18133@Neon.Stanford.EDU> torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan Torrie) writes: >greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp) writes: >>Well, the "really fast" quality of the NeXT will pale when the 040 cards ship >>for the Amiga. Given the system architectures and OSes of the two machines, >>the Amiga will be faster. That's a fact. > > This is not a "fact". This is a vapourware opinion. er.. no It's slightly more solid than vapor, but still not on the shelves. The 3rd party vendors have been talking about 040 coprocessor cards since at least last summer. There have been reports of demonstration models being shown late last fall. There's that CPU slot in the A3000 just sitting there waiting & ready for an 040 processor. The experiences with A2000 coprocessor cards was that they worked pretty well but the slowness of the ZORRO-II bus was a problem. So these cards had to be very expensive since they included 32-bit memory and disk controllers, it was almost like buying a whole new computer. The top-end card, the 50 MHz 030 card runs close to $5000 with a bunch of memory and an 80 meg drive. The ZORRO-III bus is close to 10 times faster and is 32-bit. This means that an 040 coprocessor for it won't _need_ expansion capability on _that_ card. Meaning that it will be little more than a card with a processor (or two; 68882) on it. This _is_ the main part which bothers me about getting an A3000. That I'll be buying the machine and then (assumably) shortly afterwards getting a CPU upgrade to an 040 .. -- <- David Herron, an MMDF & WIN/MHS guy, <- Formerly: David Herron -- NonResident E-Mail Hack <- <- MS-DOS ... The ultimate computer virus.