Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!radius!lemke
From: lemke@radius.com (Steve Lemke)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Cache card vs. Video card for IIsi
Keywords: ambiguous
Message-ID: <1465@radius.com>
Date: 29 May 91 22:35:49 GMT
References: <133452@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
Lines: 43

stump@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Robert E Mitchell) writes:

>  My II si is a nice machine, but slows down considerably under 7.0. I would
>  like to speed up performance with either a cache card (new for the si) or a
>  video card (24 bit).  Since it seems to me as if the performance degradation
>  is due to on board video, i would assume a video card would be the answer.

Maybe and maybe not.  Yes, you pay a slight performance penalty for using on-
board video, but from what I recall, some things can actually be a little bit
faster since the processor doesn't have to go out to the bus to do video.  I
would say that the only reason to get a video board instead of using on-board
video would be if you needed 24-bit video, which, of course, the on-board
video can't do.

>  I'm just not sure.  if video is the answer , which card would be best.  Ive
>  checked out the 24si by RasterOps; is the card only utilized in 24bit mode?
>  (meaning that when i revert back to 8 bit I'm stuck with onboard vid again)

No, if you have a video card, your display connects to that card, and it is
used for all video modes, not just 24-bit.  This also frees up whatever RAM
was being used by the on-board video (for 13" display in 8-bit mode it's about
300K of RAM) and lets the system use that RAM as normal system RAM.

>  How about the Apple 8-24?  It's not accelerated, but will it do both 8 and
>  24 on the card.  No way i can drop $1200 bucks (educational) on the GC.  

Then how could you afford the RasterOps 24si board?  Isn't it priced around a
thousand bucks or so?  Maybe they have educational pricing - I'm not sure.
But anyway, if you're looking for a good (and inexpensive) 24-bit video
board, why settle for one that doesn't have acceleration on it (like the 8/24)?
If you're getting a video board to speed up your system, then why not REALLY
speed it up?

Take a look at the Radius DirectColor/GX board.  It has 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24
bit modes, and has on-board acceleration at a price that is typically much
less than other accelerated 24-bit boards.  We also have educational pricing
(have your school call (408) 434-1011 if they don't presently carry Radius
products).

-- 
----- Steve Lemke, KC6QDT - Software Engineering, Radius Inc., San Jose -----
----- Reply to: lemke@radius.com -- U.C. Santa Barbara ECE Class of '89 -----
----- "I'm not a UNIX wizard, but I play the Postmaster at radius.com." -----