Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hp-pcd!hplsla!hpubvwa!hpfcse!hpfcmr!hpfcdc!hpfclp!fritz
From: fritz@hpfclp.SDE.HP.COM (Gary Fritz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP 9000/500 vs. Vectra with 386 CPU and 387 co-processor?
Message-ID: <7540012@hpfclp.SDE.HP.COM>
Date: 20 Jul 88 15:45:45 GMT
References: <592@rocksanne.UUCP>
Organization: HP SDE, Fort Collins, CO
Lines: 18

My personal opinion (not an official statement of HP, etc. etc. blah woof):

I've never done a direct comparison, but it's entirely possible that the
386 Vectra could equal the s500's performance.  The s500, after all, is
1980 technology.  As industry price/performance ratios keep improving,
it's inevitable that older architectures will be surpassed.

If you decide you want to stay with UN*X (HP-UX in particular), you might
want to consider the HP9000 Series 300 machines.  These are 680x0-based
machines that beat the s500's price/perf ratio handily.  They range from
$5000 + disc for a low-end 318M (768x1024 bitmapped monochrome display,
4MB RAM, etc.) to maxed-out 3-D graphics superworkstations.  Some of the
systems can be upgraded to 68030's if you decide you need more horsepower.

If you need MS-DOS / OS/2 compatibility, though, the 386 Vectra is certainly
a good alternative.

Gary Fritz