Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!convex!swarren From: swarren@convex.com (Steve Warren) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: New baseline Amiga? Message-ID: <1991Apr12.155350.20444@convex.com> Date: 12 Apr 91 15:53:50 GMT Sender: usenet@convex.com (news access account) Organization: Convex Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx. Lines: 36 Nntp-Posting-Host: neptune.convex.com I wish... I wish that Commodore would redesign the A500 motherboard to utilize a 68020 instead of a 68000. Call it the A500+ or something. Do the same with the A2000. Include a socket for a 68881 chip. They wouldn't need to bump up the memory bus to 32-bits; they could leave the motherboard memory just like it is. The idea would be to have the 020 as the baseline processor for the Amiga line. This would involve some NRE costs but it would not be *that* expensive. The 68020 now sells for less than the 68000 did when the 1000 came out. Commodore could do something as simple as rolling their old 68020 board sans 32-bit memory port into the A500 motherboard. There would be a modest performance boost on integer code and a significant performance boost for floating point code. But the increased performance would not be so great that people would be discouraged from upgrading to more powerful machines (as an illustration, people are still getting rid of '020 cards so they can upgrade to '030 cards). After a year or so they could re-introduce the old Amiga as the "Amiga Classic". ;^) They could offer trade-ups (500+ swapped for 500 Classic and some cash). Then give the refurbished Classics to schools as a promotion. After this there would never be commercial applications released that were not "pure". Well, what do you think, would that be cool, or what? _. --Steve ._||__ DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own. Warren v\ *| ---------------------------------------------- V {uunet,sun}!convex!swarren; swarren@convex.com --