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From: c60b-1eq@web-1c.berkeley.edu (Noam Mendelson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Comparing 486 to 386 Systems
Message-ID: <1991Apr4.204923.29300@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 4 Apr 91 20:49:23 GMT
References: <40409@netnews.upenn.edu> <1991Apr4.062503.1325@agate.berkeley.edu> <1991Apr4.142742.20601@lonex.radc.af.mil>
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In article <1991Apr4.142742.20601@lonex.radc.af.mil> andrewsh@lonex.radc.af.mil (Harold G. Andrews II) writes:
>In article <1991Apr4.062503.1325@agate.berkeley.edu> c60b-1eq@web-1c.berkeley.edu (Noam Mendelson) writes:
>>In article <40409@netnews.upenn.edu> jer@pender.ee.upenn.edu writes:
>>>I am planning to purchase a 386/33Mhz system, but I am still not
>>>sure whether to wait a little longer for the proces of 486 systems
>>>to drop. Can anyone point me to some discussions on the Net, or
>>>articles, comparing the EXTRAs that come with a 486 System.
>>One of the more significant differences between the 486 and 386
>>is that the 486 has a built in math coprocessor.  If you don't make
>>use of the math coprocessor, IMHO a 386/33 system would be a better
>>buy than a 486/33.
>     Yeah, but...
>     The 486 also has an internal 8K cache which offers a substantial 
>performace improvement over a 386 with an external cache.  If you can get away 
>with using the 386, then sure buy it.  If you want more power, get the 486.

But is the increase in performance worth the increase in price?  Given the
486's current market price I would think not (IMHO of course).
Most people also subscribe to the notion that if the number is higher it's
necessarily much more powerful, where in fact:
		(486 - 386) < (286 - 86) << (386 - 286).

+==========================================================================+
| Noam Mendelson   ..!agate!ucbvax!web!c60b-1eq | "I haven't lost my mind, |
| c60b-1eq@web.Berkeley.EDU                     |  it's backed up on tape  |
| University of California at Berkeley          |  somewhere."             |