Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!agate!ucbvax!pasteur!dog.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!mvb.saic.com!ncr-sd!serene!cbmami!jason
From: jason@cbmami.UUCP (Jason Goldberg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: GVP Acceloraters
Message-ID: <18d4fcbb.ARN0f1d@cbmami.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 91 20:25:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: cbmami.18d4fcbb.ARN0f1d
Reply-To: jason@cbmami.UUCP
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Lines: 53


	Does anyone have any experience with the GVP Acceloraters?  I
currently have a A2630, but I am looking at the GVP 50 MHz board.  The
problem is that I can't get any good info about them, even GVP seems
confused...  

	In particular, can a rev7 GVP 50 MHz run Unix?  Are any
modifications required?  Don't just tell me that it has ROM sockets for
UNIX, I want to know if anyone is certain that it works.

	The memory board has 8 SIMM sockets, 4 are populated with 1 MEG
SIMMS and that 4 MEGS is autoconfiged.  The remaining 4 can have 1 MEG or 4
MEG SIMMS (meaning the board can hold 4, 8, or 20 MEGS).  These last for
SIMMS (4 or 16 MEGS) are not autoconfig but are addmemed automagically by
the board.  Does this work?  Will all my existing software see the 20 MEGS?
Under AmigaDos 1.3?  Under AmigaDos 2.0?  Also GVP has changed the design
of all their boards so that they can only accomodate GVP SIMMS!  These
SIMMS are much more expensive than there generic counterparts, but nobody
seems to know how much they cost.  Most dealers don't know that they need
GVP SIMMS and GVP won't sell them to me.  When I asked how much they cost,
the sales lady said that they were 70 NS SIMMS and that 4 MEGS cost $495
and 16 MEGS cost $549!  Obviosly this is a mistake, but she insisted it was
right (too bad she wouldn't sell the 16 MEGS to me...), the only dealer who
seems to know what I am talking about said that they are 60 NS simms and
had never heard of the 4 MEG SIMMS.

	Has anyone who has one done any benchmarks?  I played with the 50
MHz for a while and it was obviously faster than my 2 MEG A2630, when I
tried the SYSINFO program on it, it reported about a 29 MHz clockspeed,
while my A2630 is reported at about 24.5 MHz.  The SYSINFO program compares
your CPU to a tests that they have done, and it says that my A2630 is
slighlty faster than a A2500 and right about the same speed as a A3000,
this is inaccurate because it is a A2500.  However the 50 MHz GVP is
reported as about 60-70% the speed of a 50 MHz GVP (even with all cache and
burst modes on).  Has anyone who ownes one done any benchmarks?

	Does anyone have any other comments, particularly if you have any
experience with the GVP boards?

	Also, the lattest version of the GVP 50 MHz is rev 7.0 and it has
no provision for booting in 68000 mode.  This is in conflict with reports
from others that GVP has a software program that causes it to boot in 68000
mode.

Thanks,



-Jason-

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason Goldberg				UUCP: ucsd!serene!cbmami!jason
Del Mar, CA