Newsgroups: comp.unix.msdos Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!chepil!wagner From: wagner@chepil.weru.ksu.edu (Larry Wagner) Subject: Re: Are there any BSD-derived UNIX versions for 386's? Message-ID: <1991Jun3.074653.20242@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu> Sender: news@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu (The News Guru) Nntp-Posting-Host: chepil.weru.ksu.edu Organization: Kansas State University References: <1991May28.115651.28034@news.cs.indiana.edu> <1991May31.205759.5628@stb.info.com> Date: Mon, 3 Jun 91 07:46:53 GMT Lines: 59 andyb@stb.info.com (Andy B.) writes: >mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Squires) writes: >> 2. Buy a used Sun 386i. They are a drug on the market now (one surplus house >> had 386i/150's for sale for $2000, new, for months with apparently few >> takers). I'd go for a 386i/250; one with a 19" color monitor and 330MB >> HD/60MB tape drive went last year for $5000, and the prices should be >> lower now by a good bit. >> >> My experience with a 386i/250 was that it was quite a bit slower than a >> 386/20 running SCO XENIX, especially when the system loaded up. However, >> things like X11R4 apparently compile on the 386i without giant hassles. >This caught my eye. Does anyone have a list of the various Suns >in order of speed/power/price? 386i/250 would seem to be faster >than a 386/20 just from the naming convention. Is this a fluke? Sun sold three versions or models of the 386i: 1) A 5 mips (Sun's numbers) machine (386i/250) that consists of a 25MHz 80386 and 80387 with a cached memory board capable of holding up to 16MB of 80ns ram. 2) A 4 mips machine (386i/150) that consists of a 20MHz 80386 and 80387 with a cached memory board capable of holding up to 16MB of 80ns ram. 3) A 3 mips machine (386i/150) that consists of a 20MHz 80386 and 80387 with a non-cached memory board capable of holding up to 8MB of 100ns ram. There was some type of additional designation between the fast and slow 20MHz versions but I don't remember them. I use a 386i/250 with 16MB at work with OpenWindows (Sun's version of X-windows). It is acceptable for most of the work I do. I have used the slow 20MHz machine with 8MB of ram with MIT's X-windows also. It is actually just as fast as my machine with respect to screen i/o, but significantly slower on cpu intensive tasks. We have several Gateway 2000 386/20 machines here (without cache cards) and the 386i/250 consistently scores higher than they do on DOS cpu intensive benchmarks. The 386i/250 is also noticably faster doing such things as compiling programs with Microsoft C than the 386 PCs, probably because of the faster disks on the 386i. We have just recently ordered an additional 386i/250 (used since SUN no longer makes them). Our best quoted price for a 386i/250 with 8MB of ram, 19 inch monitor, and 155MB disk was $3300. They also matched SUN's original warranty of 90 days. Others bids were around $4000. It's tough to meet that price with a PC when you need the coprocessor, high resolution monitor, ethernet, some form of multi-tasking, and network software. If anyone needs the names, addresses, and/or phone numbers of these vendors just ask. I am at home and do not have that info here. -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Larry E. Wagner | wagner@chepil.weru.ksu.edu USDA-ARS Wind Erosion Research Unit | wagner@matt.ksu.ksu.edu 105B East Waters Hall, KSU | ...!{rutgers,texbell}!ksuvax1!weru!wagner Manhattan, KS 66506 |phone (913)532-6807 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------