Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!ogicse!sequent!muncher.sequent.com!lff From: lff@sequent.com (Lou Fernandez) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware Subject: The LC vs. IIsi Message-ID: <1991Jun5.175401.14345@sequent.com> Date: 5 Jun 91 17:54:01 GMT Sender: lff@sequent.com (Lou Fernandez) Organization: Sequent Computer Systems Inc Lines: 64 I would like to buy a Mac for home use and am trying to decide what model is appropriate. At this point, both the LC and IIsi seem like viable choices and I am trying to determine whether the IIsi is worth the extra $1K to me. Today, my requirements are fairly modest. I expect to use the machine primarily for spreadsheets, word processing, and home finance programs. I will probably get a black&white monitor rather than color. My primary concerns are for longevity and future expandability. I have some specific technical questions about the two Macs but I would also appreciate a pointer to a good technical reference about the Mac line which I could read to answer these and other questions. If these are FAQ or the subject of recent discussions, a pointer to a comp.sys.mac.* archive would be helpful. 1) Memory capacity As memory continues its drop in price, I believe future Mac software will require much more of it. The literature says the LC is limited to 10 Mbytes and the IIsi to 17 Mbytes. What are these limits based on? Will they be different when 16 Mbyte SIMMs are available? How many SIMM slots does each of these machine have and what are the speed requirements? 2) Video performance How do the LC and the IIsi differ in their built-in video support? Does using the built-in video slow down the machine? Is there a black&white mode which can be used to reduce this slowdown? 3) Expansion slots Both the LC and the IIsi appear to have expansion slots of some sort but how many and what kind? (Neither appears to be a Nubus slot.) Do you think the expansion slot on the LC is a dead-end? 4) Other functional differences I understand that the LC cannot support virtual memory. However, I can buy LOTS of real memory for the price difference between the LC and the IIsi. This could still be a problem if the LC has architectural limits which prevent it from being able to access lots of real memory. Are there other important functional differences between the LC and the IIsi? Which of these might prevent some software which I buy in the future from running on the LC? Thanks in advance for your insights into these questions and for any other observations on the LC and IIsi which you feel are important. ...Lou -- Louis F. Fernandez Sequent Computer Systems lfernandez@sequent.com Mail Stop SPL1-722 503-578-5113 (voice) 15450 SW Koll Parkway 503-578-5271 (fax) Beaverton, OR 97006-6063 -- Louis F. Fernandez Sequent Computer Systems lfernandez@sequent.com Mail Stop SPL1-722 503-578-5113 (voice) 15450 SW Koll Parkway 503-578-5271 (fax) Beaverton, OR 97006-6063