Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!munnari.oz.au!bruce!goanna!minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au!s902113 From: s902113@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (Luke Mewburn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware Subject: Re: The LC vs. IIsi Message-ID: <1991Jun6.011802.6074@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au> Date: 6 Jun 91 01:18:02 GMT References: <1991Jun5.175401.14345@sequent.com> <1991Jun6.010608.5253@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au> Organization: RMIT Computer Centre, Melbourne Australia. Lines: 110 s902255@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (A. Vanderstock) writes: >lff@sequent.com (Lou Fernandez) writes: >>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. >Even though the IIsi doesn't have a floating point co-processor, it has >the expansion capabilities that you will need later. >>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. >Go for the IIsi : at least the 68882 cards aren't too expensive. >>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? >Mainly the available space for SIMM slots. With System 7.0 on the IIsi, >you don't really need all that much RAM, and you can emulate Virtual >memory. See your Apple dealer for RAM upgrades. 70 ns RAM is typical for >20 MHz machines though. >>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? >The LC has a custom video controller : it can display 512*342 in 2, 16, and >32768 colours (with VRAM upgrade), and 640*480 in 2, 16, and with the VRAM >upgrade 256 colours from 16,000,000. There are performance hits, but this is >true with any Mac. It is just that without the 68882, you tend to notice >spreadsheet slowness and other tasks. >The IIsi is more like the Mac II's original video card : 640*480 in 2, 4, 16, >and 256 colours. >>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? >LC has a little space that is I think a PDS slot. But in a *very* funny >formfactor. The IIsi has 1 slot that is more like normal NuBus, but uses >a different connector. It also has a PDS slot. *NONONO* The IIsi has a slot for a card - the 68882 slot. When you buy a 68882 card from Apple, you can buy 2 versions. 1 gives you a PDS slot, the other NuBus slot, so you decide "Do I want NuBus or do I want PDS?". Either way, you have to buy the 68882 card to do this. I think some other companies supply stuff like EtherNet cards for this slot, with 68882 already on them. If you want a bit of speed, get the 68882 card. I think the nubus version would be the way to go. You'll notice the diff. >>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. >In the end, virtual memory is still going to cheaper than real memory, and >if you're going to spend an extra $1k, you may as well get the IIsi anyway. >>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? >Not really. Since so many people are already buying LCs I am sure that many >low to medium packages will build in support for it, or at least workarounds. >High end packages may still need the extra that a 68882 provides, and Mac II >compability is always a bonus. >>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 >-- >Andrew Vanderstock >s902255@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au -- ____________________________________________________________________________ | Luke Mewburn [Zak] | #disclaimer: I _own_ these opinions, | | s902113@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au | No-one else deserves them :-) | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------