Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!munnari.oz.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!marlin.jcu.edu.au!cpca From: cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Colin Adams) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: The Amiga's Future Message-ID: <1991Jun18.104100.12869@marlin.jcu.edu.au> Date: 18 Jun 91 10:41:00 GMT References: <1991Jun15.112510.17324@news.iastate.edu> Organization: James Cook University of North Queensland Lines: 44 In article <1991Jun15.112510.17324@news.iastate.edu> taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu writes: > Based on my enourmous disappointment with the graphics and color >capabilities of the A3000, I am seriously expecting the 32-bit chipset >to also be extremely disappointing. If that chipset comes out in >summer 1992, more than *SEVEN YEARS* would have passed between the >introduction of the original chipset and the introduction of the first >chipset with actual improvements. For this much of a time lag to be >justified, the 32-bit chipset will have to be extremely powerful indeed. >Given what Commodore has done in the past, I am very justified in my >doubts that it will be. From what has been said from C= employee's on the net, one can make a pretty good guess of what the new chip set will have. It appears that they only intend to improve the chipset to 32bits, leaving it at a similar clockspeed until 60ns DRAMS are common (as 80ns can't keep up with *2 speed). Bob from LSI design has implied in the past that the chip set will support 8 bit colour from 24 bit palette (not 24 bit colour on screen at once, or at least not at high res). With the increased bandwidth, 1024*768 in 8 bit colour should be possible, although it will probably chew most of the chip bus time as 16 colour 640*256 does now. C= should be able to get a bit of extra speed in the chips by removing some of the wait states (such as the copper wake up time). Really I don't think you can except much more with current technology. You'll have VGA colour/res probably at slightly higher performance (and better than most VGA cards) and everything less (like what you're using today), will fly... Correct any errors I've made, I make no claims at being any sort of chip expert! (I'm sure you would have anyway :-) ) > / Marc Barrett -MB- | BITNET: XGR39@ISUVAX.BITNET / >/ ISU COM S Student | Internet: XGR39@CCVAX.IASTATE.EDU / -- Colin Adams Computer Science Department James Cook University Internet : cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au North Queensland 'And on the eighth day, God created Manchester'