Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!babss!wadswort
From: wadswort@babss.UUCP (John H. Wadsworth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: 386 configuration tradeoffs
Message-ID: <1335@b1.babss.UUCP>
Date: 20 Mar 91 16:50:59 GMT
Reply-To: uunet!babss!wadswort
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Organization: Bell Atlantic Business Systems Service Branford, Ct.
Lines: 30

I'm considering purchasing a system for home use. I will run
*nix,X11,GNU etc. With this in mind, I'd like to hear your
opinion about which tradoffs I should make to get a reasonable
configuration at a reasonable price.

386 33mhz or 25 mhz?
Is the 25 _that_ much slower?

Extra cache or extra main memory?
Given the choice would you rather have more cache or more main memory?

Svga or vga?
I think I know the answer to this one. I recently read some advice
that said "Don't skimp on the monitor. Your eyes will suffer" I'd
rather not have to replace either my monitor or my  eyes because
one was no longer suitable so I suspect I want the SVGA (color too!).
Are there any problems with this, ie. X11 wont run in Svga anyway?

The High price system is of course the 386/33 Svga with 64k of cache
and 4 mg memory. Svga color.

The low end is a 386/25 with no cache and 2mg memory. (would 2 even
be enough?) provided 

Lastly, do you think the prices for a '386 are stable or are
they expected to drop sharply in the next 6-8 months?

Any and all advice greatfully accepted. I'll post a summary if
warrented.
Thanks!    John H. Wadsworth      uunet!babss!wadswort