Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!bongo.cc.utexas.edu!allred
From: allred@bongo.cc.utexas.edu (Kevin L. Allred)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Math chip wars...
Summary: cheap cheap cheap!!!
Keywords: 80x87
Message-ID: <51192@ut-emx.uucp>
Date: 25 Jun 91 17:11:11 GMT
Sender: news@ut-emx.uucp
Reply-To: allred@bongo.cc.utexas.edu (Kevin L. Allred)
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, Texas
Lines: 43

In article <1991Jun25.112851.912@mlb.semi.harris.com> routh@eltanin.rtp.semi.harris.com (Kevin Routh x622) writes:
...
>} >>	As part of the move, pricing for all speed grades of the
>} >>	387 was consolidated at $299."
....
>I am also happy because now I, and many, many more 386 computer owners
>can afford a math chip.  
>

Intel bashing aside, the point really is that this is cutthroat
capitalism at work, and it's great news for those of us who could
never afford a coprocessor before.  Intel was finally feeling the
competition from the new 387 compatible manufactures (CYRIX, ITT, SDC,
and now AMD).  CYRIX, ITT, and SDC all claim (and benchmarks seem to
verify), that they make faster parts than the original Intel parts (I
haven't seen any reports on AMD chip except that it is supposed to
exist).  These other companies got into the 387 business because they
thought they could make a lot of money by undercutting Intel's price
(they had a 20% cheaper street price up until Intel's cut).
Yesterday, I called several places that advertised Intel's and at
least one other manufacturer's chips (from the back of PC Week).
Several of them asked, "what are you willing to pay?", even before
giving me a quote.  I called SDC yesterday, and they had just lowered
their price in response to Intel's cut.  The new suggested list price
on the chip I was interested in, 16 MHz 387sx compatible, was $119.
They told me CompuAdd was their local dealer; so I phoned CompuAdd,
and the salesman told me that they hadn't got the price update yet,
but if it really was suggest list $119, they would probably price it
below $100.  I gave him my name and phone number so he could call me
when he had their new price.  The moral of the story is, it's a buyers
market --- find a dealer with a good price, and get a chip while the
competition lasts.

FYO

CYRIX 1-800-FASMATH (1-800-327-6284)

SDC   1-800-284-7732
-- 
	Kevin Allred
	Department of Chemical Engineering
	The University of Texas at Austin
	email: allred@emx.cc.utexas.edu