Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!uwm.edu!uwvax!daffy!cat52.cs.wisc.edu!pochron From: pochron@cat52.cs.wisc.edu (David Pochron) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: Few questions/observations about the A3000 Summary: Okay... Keywords: KS 2.0 Message-ID: <1991Apr25.154002.4471@daffy.cs.wisc.edu> Date: 25 Apr 91 15:40:02 GMT References: <1991Apr23.143421.17738@javelin.sim.es.com> <1991Apr24.172714.462@daffy.cs.wisc.edu> <1991Apr24.214121.4631@javelin.sim.es.com> Sender: news@daffy.cs.wisc.edu (The News) Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept Lines: 78 In article <1991Apr24.214121.4631@javelin.sim.es.com> blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com writes: >pochron@cat52.cs.wisc.edu (David Pochron) writes: > >CBM hasn't said anything one way or the other, but since all existing >A3000's load KS from disk, it's at least a 50-50 chance that the final ... >machines. But since CBM hasn't said anything, this is all pure >speculation. True, but since there are ROM sockets in the 3000, I think there is a much higher possibility of KS being ROM-only. >>Furthermore, unless you have a pre-3000 Amiga with a faster CPU & 32 bit RAM, >>there is no speed difference between running KS in ROM and running KS in RAM! >>(I thought this was all discussed in c.s.a.h several months ago about ROM vs >>RAM...) > >Unless you have a 32-bit CPU with an MMU, it's impossible to move KS >into RAM, so how could you tell? On my A2500/20 moving KS to RAM gives >about a 3.6 X speed increase to "ROM" access, quite noticable, and well >worth the 256K of RAM. See above - that is just what I said! :-) Plus, like I said in my previous message, I do have a 68030 installed in my 2000 - that is how I can tell. (Also with the help of a neat little program called "RomBash") It is trivial to get SetCPU to load the ROM image into 16 bit fast memory instead of the 32 bit "super" fast memory. There is no difference in speed when I run the OS out of 16 bit fast mem instead of the ROMs...Only 32 bit fast mem makes a difference. >You're assuming that RAM and disk space are worth more than speed. I've >got 8M of RAM and 600M of disk space, and I'll happily give up a >half-meg of each to speed up the system. The time to load KS from disk >is negligible (about 1-2 seconds, but it's fast enough that I've never You could transfer that 512K image from ROM into RAM in less than a second. I don't know which 68030 card you have, but if it is the 2630 (like mine) you only have 4 megs of 32 bit RAM - that and is the critical RAM! In fact, I would go as far to say I really only have 4 megs of RAM on my system, because the 2.5 megs of additional 16 bit RAM I have is almost useless, except for RAM disk space. Having said that, using 512K of my 32 bit RAM is like using 12.5% if my system's memory up! (Same for yours too, if you have only 4 megs of 32 bit RAM) Unfortunately, the 2000 doesn't have a socket for 32 bit ROMs, so when 2.0 comes out, I will be stuck with losing 512K of my memory...BUT....If there were a way to install the 3000's 32 bit ROMs onto the A2630 board, you had better believe I would do it in a moment's notice! (Hint, hint, D.H...A great A2630 daughterboard project... :-) >>(And again, any disk-based version is bound to not be as up-to-date as the >>final ROM version will be.) > >Why? So far disk-based 2.0 Kickstarts are FAR more current than the >antique KS ROM that bootstraps existing A3000's. Again, it comes down to Yes, "so far" are the key words - you must remember 2.0 is *not* officially out yet - those versions are strictly for testing only. When 2.0 is finished, those disk-based updates will vanish. Right now, they are only available because the OS is not finished, and Commodore can still make semi-major changes before everything is set in place. To compare the 3000's bootstrap ROM's to the final 2.0 ROM's is not fair - it is NOT part of the OS. Once KS is loaded nothing is used from the bootstraps. >Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland 580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108 >blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com BIX: blaine_g >DoD #46 My other motorcycle is a Quadracer. FJ1200 -- David M. Pochron | Transparent DWV pipe: For the man who wants to | see it all... pochron@garfield.cs.wisc.edu | (If you don't know what DWV is, get a life! :-)