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From: u545601551ea@ucdavis.UUCP (u545601551ea)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: "FastMac" 68020 from Levco: info?
Message-ID: <71@ucdavis.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Jan-86 00:09:46 EST
Article-I.D.: ucdavis.71
Posted: Thu Jan 23 00:09:46 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Jan-86 21:59:21 EST
References: <3140@sdcc3.UUCP>
Organization: University of California, Davis
Lines: 35

> I was told today that Levco announced their 'FastMac' that is running a 68020
> at MacWorld Expo yesterday.  I think it has 4M RAM with an MMU.  Supply is
> obviously limited, with a high price tag.
> 
> None of this information is confirmed, but I hope someone out there can post
> some info/specs on this new wonder...
> 
> 
> --Chris
> -----------------
> Chris Borton, UC San Diego Undergraduate CS	
> Micro Consultant, UCSD
	I saw the beast at the Expo run up against a 68000.  They were both
running a program that displayed and rotated a spherical star map.  I don't know
the exact ratios, but the Levco machine looked about 3X as fast as the 68K.  
Levco's machine(called the MacSuper 20 FP) does have 4 MBytes of RAM, but 
the disks weren't whirring on either machine.
	The MacSuper 20 FP uses the 68020 and a 68881 Floating Point Coprocessor. The 68881 is directly supported by the 68020; whereas, a 68000 treats the 
68881 as a peripheral. The following is from a flyer I got at the show:
	
		"The new Macintosh ROMs understand the 68020 and its differences 		with the 68000.  A special software flag is available to detect 		the type of processor to take advantage of the extra 
		capabilities that the 68020 offers.  All software written 
		according to the Macintosh guidelines will operate properly on 
		the MacSuper 20 FP." 

Sorry, but, being a poor student, I avoid looking a price tags...

Another nice thing about the 68020 is that it "remembers" the "last several
instructions" that it did; if it needs them again, it doesn't have to go to 
memory.  This and 16MHz speed  things up a bit.
	Levco's flyer has quite a bit of info. about the 68020 and 68881; if
there is a demand, I'll post it all(about 4 pages).


J.P. (Jon P. Gorrono at deneb at UC at Davis)