Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!pasteur!agate!eris!spencer
From: spencer@eris (Randal m. Spencer [RmS])
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: A2000 PC-AT slots, and 'Fatso' Agnes
Message-ID: <6617@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 20 Jan 88 01:52:04 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: spencer@eris.berkeley.edu (Randal m. Spencer [RmS])
Organization: Infinity Software :-)
Lines: 46

Recently on *comp.sys.amiga* cunniff@hpfclq.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) wrote:
...Question 2:	I have heard rumors that C-A is developing a 'Fatso'
...		Agnes that will:

It is not called the 'Fatso' Agnes, it is the 'Fatter' Agnes (as in:
Fat, Fatter, Fattest), and anyway, it is a rumor, anything said by
anyone would be rumor, and Commodore can't be expected to confirm
or deny anything that is just a rumor (or that would be all they
do with their days.  Just lay back for a while, we shall see what
we shall see.
...
...			1.  Allow for 400 line non-interlaced displays
...			    (on a multi-scan type monitor)

But just to help with the spread of, or demise of, this rumor, I will
say that the above is NOT true, or possible (of course, that's just the 
rumor:')
...			2.  Allow for more bitplanes (i.e. 7 or 8)
...			    than are currently possible.
...		
...		Now, the memory bandwidth for 320 pixel-wide screens
...		exists to do both of the above (since 640 pixel-wide
...		screens require twice the bandwidth, and *THEY* work).
...		However, it is my understanding that 4 bitplane 640
...		pixel-wide screens take up ALL available memory bandwidth
...		in chip memory.  Any ideas how an Agnes/Denise/Paula
...		replacement could create a 640x400x8 noninterlaced
...		screen WITHOUT requiring a significantly faster
...		bus and RAM chips?  It seems to me that you would
...		have to increase the clock rate to 14 Mhz, and drop
...		in 120 or 100 ns RAM chips, in order to get the necessary
...		bandwidth.  Am I wrong?  (I'm sure y'all will let me
...		know :-> ).  If not, I'll just have to dismiss these
...		rumors as entirely bogus, as such changes would probably
...		require MAJOR motherboard rework.
...
This was a very good posting, this is a major point that rumor spreaders
have missed consistantly.  Thanks for pointing it out, (of course, this
opens it up for 160x200x12 resolution.
...
...				Ross Cunniff
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Randy Spencer      P.O. Box 4542   Berkeley  CA  94704        (415)222-7595 
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