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From: jones@acsu.buffalo.edu (terry a jones)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: 486SX - Intel now telling lies
Message-ID: <78230@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Date: 30 May 91 02:05:19 GMT
References: <1991May25.192449.27061@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1991May29.191233.18863@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1991May29.212337.7684@thyme.jpl.nasa.gov>
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In article <1991May29.212337.7684@thyme.jpl.nasa.gov> kaleb@thyme.jpl.nasa.gov (Kaleb Keithley) writes:

[Stuff Deleted]


>Do they think we're stupid.  
>
>I wonder what's involved with re-enabling the FPU.  If I could buy an 
>i486SX for $250, enable the FPU and sell it for $800, I would.  Wouldn't 
>you?  What this whole thing really means, is that Intel can produce and 
>make a profit selling a i486 at $250.  They're gouging those of us who 
>buy the i486 an extra $550.  That's inexcusable.

	Well......you'd need a silicon fabrication house, or some really
really small soldering irons.  I'd bet that Intel modifies the 486dx mask
to fabricate the 486sx.  The bulk of the fpu layout is probably still intact
but not used in the 486sx.  This would be easier than generating a completely
new layout for the sx part.  This also means that less of the 486sx parts
will be culled out, since the complexity of the die is lower than that of
the dx die.  With higher yields, the cost of the part should be lower.
But I agree with you, I'm not shedding any tears for Intel.  The sx has
one purpose, and that is to kill AMD's 386 (Intel's as well) sales.


>So, don't buy an i486, buy an AMD386-40.  Buy Motorola.  Buy anything
>else.  Just don't buy Intel.
>

	Agreed, I'm still waiting for the AMD 486.....



Terry Jones   				{rutgers,uunet}!acsu.buffalo.edu!jones
SUNY at Buffalo ECE Dept.	  or: rutgers!ub!jones, jones@acsu.buffalo.edu