Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!wa3wbu!gdx!jay From: jay@gdx.UUCP (Jay A. Snyder) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: Why buy a DX over an SX? Message-ID: <191@gdx.UUCP> Date: 4 May 91 03:54:27 GMT References: <14534@encore.Encore.COM> <1991Apr12.162615.13529@holos0.uucp> <1991Apr21.203004.9909@unlv.edu> Organization: GDX-BBS,Central Pa Unix BBS/anon uucp (717)737-3249 9600PEP/2400/1200 24hrs Lines: 15 In-reply-to: whitney@reed.cs.unlv.edu's message of 21 Apr 91 20:30:04 GMT whitney@reed.cs.unlv.edu (Lee Whitney) writes: >Your statement is impratical and misleading. First, the 386SX DOES have a 32 bit data path or else it would not be a 386! It's bandwidth is only limited across the bus, and since 90% of 386 buses are 16 bit (ISA), most DX systems would not realize a tremendous advantage over SX's when using 32-bit protected mode software. > >A $200 cache may be worth a 25-30% performance increase, but the 5-10% increase of a DX over an SX with a 16 bit bus is probably not. > the peripheral bus is not the concern. The memory bus is. The 386sx only has a 16bit path to the memory. ============================================================================== Jay A. Snyder "Let Me Up! I've had enough" wa3wbu!gdx!jay@uunet.uu.net GDX-BBS (717) 737-3249 2400/1200/300bd uunet!wa3wbu!gdx!jay Unix and MSDOS File areas + Xenix executables