Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!claris!outpost.UUCP!peirce
From: peirce@outpost.UUCP (Michael Peirce)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: LC video vs. SI video... (really built-in video in general)
Message-ID: <0B010004.96fqrd@outpost.UUCP>
Date: 7 Mar 91 00:48:53 GMT
Reply-To: peirce@outpost.UUCP
Organization: Peirce Software
Lines: 35
X-Mailer: uAccess - Mac Release: 1.0.3


In article <1991Mar6.044427.10163@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>, dbert@pogo.ai.mit.edu (Douglas Siebert) writes:
> 
> I was under the impression that you couldn't, for instance, put 256K SIMMS in
> bank A and 1M or 4M SIMMS in bank B.  Is it different for these machines?

Yes, it's different for these machines.  They use the MMU to remap
things so they look contiguous to the Mac OS.

> Also, if you purhcased a separate video card for the si or ci which included
> on-board VRAM, would the contention problem then go away?  This would probably
> not be worth it if you only intended to get an 8-bit card anyway, but if you
> got a 24-bit card (which the on-board video doesn't support, correct?) then
> you would have better video and faster execution, all for only a few hundred
> dollars.  Then I would see no real reason to purchase a ci over an si unless
> the extra slots were really important to you.  Comments?

Yes, adding a NuBus video card to a ci or si removes the video contention
with main RAM.  Of course, even with an addition video card you could
still use the on-board video to give you two screens if you'd like!

There are two ways to boost the performance of a Mac IIci: (1) the
addition of a NuBus video card and (2) the addition of a cache card.

I've done both of these and there is really a noticeable speed increase
- enough to keep me happy until the 68040 Mac comes out! :-)
(I hope there is a small footprint '040 based Mac sometime soon after
the tower comes out.)

-- michael


--  Michael Peirce         --   outpost!peirce@claris.com
--  Peirce Software        --   Suite 301, 719 Hibiscus Place
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