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From: c60b-1eq@e260-3e.berkeley.edu (Noam Mendelson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Why buy a DX over an SX?
Message-ID: <1991Apr9.235803.25607@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 9 Apr 91 23:58:03 GMT
References: <14534@encore.Encore.COM>
Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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In article <14534@encore.Encore.COM> elliot@encore.com writes:
>Ok, so we have beaten to death the differences between a 386SX and a 386DX.
>What I would like to know is what to the big attraction of a DX which seems
>to cost $200 more (without cache).  What does the 32-bit interface buy you?
>Certainly not CPU performance.  I did some checking and got these SI (5.0)
>numbers:
>CPU      SI (5.0)   Comments
>---      --------   --------
>286-16   12.3       My trusty 286
>386SX-20 12.8       A friend's system; claims that sometimes it is 15
>386DX-20 12.4       C&T, AMI, 2MB 80ns, interleaved, no wait states, no cache
>386DX-25 15.5       Not the same system as above, but same coniguration

First of all--don't post Norton SI results as serious statistics.  Norton SI
is a very vague measurement of overall system performance, not the CPU's
performance.
If you're interested, a 20 MHz Model 70 tests 21.5 on Norton 4.0 SI.

>I was under the impression that DX boards (without cache) really scream.
>I have heard claims of up to 24 SI, w/out cache.  What am I missing?
>Either 1) I've tested out cheap DX boards, or 2) I'm comparing SI 5.0
>to SI 4.5.  Someone please set me straight before I shell out $$$ for a DX.

That depends on what you use your system for.  But if all you want is raw
power, get a 386/25 or 386/33.  I would also recommend an internal cache
of 64K.

+==========================================================================+
| 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."             |