Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!cbmvax!daveh From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject: Re: Crippled A3000 Message-ID: <22123@cbmvax.commodore.com> Date: 3 Jun 91 16:43:11 GMT References: Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA Lines: 36 In article tony@ais.org (Tony Poole) writes: > I am told from my local dealer that this computer would not be upgradable >to 25 Mhz because the CPU is soldered in. Well, yes and no. Unless you're a soldering wizard supreme, you don't stand a chance of removing the surface mounted 68030 and replacing it with a faster version. This isn't unusual; most computers run at one speed and, even if the CPU is removable, you won't be able to crank them up. But... > What I want to know is this: Will I be able to, sometime in the future, >purchase a third party board to connect expansion wise, and upgrade >to 25 Mhz, exactly the same as if I actually bought a 25 Mhz model? >I mean EXACTLY the same as, not close.... Well, strangely enough, all A3000s can work at either 16MHz or 25MHz, except for the speed of the on-board CPU/FPU. The A3000's coprocessor slot lets an expansion board disable the onboard CPU/FPU and supply an alternate system clock. So yes, it's possible for a 25MHz add-in to run the entire system at 25MHz. With such an add-in installed, there is no difference between an A3000 that came at 25MHz and the upgraded 16MHz system. The one difference is that it's technically possible, if you don't change the motherboard clock speed, to run a CPU slot processor at the same time as the onboard CPU. This won't likely be a big issue with any simple speedup boards, since there's not enough motherboard bus bandwidth to support two 68030s going full speed to motherboard memory. With a 68040 or cache/memory on a coprocessor board, this multiprocessor setup will work better. Still, the big problem is software support; right now, there is no software to take advantage of such a setup. >Tony Poole Traverse City, MI USA EMail:tony@irie.ais.org -- Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests" {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh PLINK: hazy BIX: hazy "This is my mistake. Let me make it good." -R.E.M.