Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!pooh!madler From: madler@pooh.caltech.edu (Mark Adler) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: How low can you go? Message-ID: <1991Feb28.120220.20969@nntp-server.caltech.edu> Date: 28 Feb 91 12:02:20 GMT References: <1372@toaster.SFSU.EDU> <1991Feb28.043153.8516@utstat.uucp> Sender: news@nntp-server.caltech.edu Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Lines: 29 >> This is one area in which I wholeheartedly agree with Eric; when >> buying a NeXT system for about $3,000 - $5,000, it makes little sense >> to skimp on memory. Yep, it's true. I bought 8M of 1Mx8's for $340. Only five of the eight worked, so I sent three back for replacement. As a result, I ran at 12M for about a week, and then I was up to 16M. Both times (8M to 12M and 12M to 16M), I noticed a significant improvement in speed. I normally have about 9 to 12 applications launched (including Workspace and Preferences). The only time now that I would like to have *more* than 16M is when I'm doing large Mathematica calculations. Then I notice some serious swapping. I believe that 8M is barely adequate for normal use of a single user NeXT. The price differential to move up is well worth it. As for the original question that started this thread, "Can you run a NeXT at 4M?" I can't see why not. vm_stat reports that a little over a meg is wired down, so that is not a limitation. It is a virtual memory operating system after all, so it shouldn't matter how much real memory you have if you don't care about speed. The fellow who was asking wanted to use the 4M machine just for printing, and use the leftover 4M to bring the NeXT he actually uses up to 12M. This thread is recommending that, assuming he can't cough up the $170 to just buy 4M, that is. As to whether the 4M print server will actually be useful, you'd just have to try. I'd like to know if he does try and what happens. Mark Adler madler@pooh.caltech.edu