Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!marque!gryphon!crash!pnet01!haitex
From: haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: New User Seeks the Straight Dope on the A500
Message-ID: <2538@crash.cts.com>
Date: 14 Feb 88 17:56:17 GMT
Sender: news@crash.cts.com
Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon CA
Lines: 49

ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) writes:
>In article <1326@edison.GE.COM> mfs@edison.GE.COM (Crispy @ Fried Brains and Snow Shoes) writes:
>>2) Memory vs Disk - Many folks said the A500 is a dog without another
>>   disk drive.  Just as many said it was a dog without at least 1Meg.
>>   Memory is cheaper (at least the 1/2 meg expansion ~$140) but not by
>>   much.  (disk drive is ~$195) So which should come first?
>
>	The disk drive.  While you can survive just nicely with 512K of RAM,
>you *cannot* survive with a single drive.  Some will claim that you can copy
>most of WorkBench into RAM disk with 1 meg, and have a useable system.  They
>are wrong.  (I love blanket statements, don't you?  Let's see if I can
>justify it.)
>
>	First off, in order to copy all of WorkBench into RAM, you'll need a
>minimum of 1.5 megs.  The 500 can only be internally expanded to 1 meg.
>Second, if your machine crashes, you have to reload your RAM disk when
>re-booting.  This is a major drag.  Even with VD0: (which isn't guaranteed
>to work in the 500's expansion RAM), it's still a drag.
>
>	The other side of the coin is that, if you have two drives, life
>immediately becomes much easier.  Disk copying becomes easier.  Re-boots
>will be more pleasant, since you won't need to reload a RAM disk.
>
>	I survived with 512K and 2 drives for the longest time.  A lot of my
>early stuff was developed on a 512K system.  Much of the existing software
>base will work in 512K.
>
>	Having extra memory is nice, but in my humble opinion, having the
>second drive is mandatory.

        I *still* only survive with only one floppy.  I have two megs of
expansion RAM installed.  I would agree that if the choice is between 512k
of added RAM or another floppy that you should go for the floppy, but I'd
rather have an extra 2 megs.  I figure I'll get a hard drive soon, and 
then will have no need for a second floppy!  Also, there are programs
that will not run well (or at all) with less than a meg so that is a
consideration as well.

        Thats my $.02


                                                Good Luck,


                                                        Wade.

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