Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!pro-sol.cts.com!lbotez
From: lbotez@pro-sol.cts.com (Lynda Botez)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: rom 03 upgrade (or lack thereof)
Message-ID: <16573.apple.net@pro-sol>
Date: 11 Feb 90 18:44:30 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 33

In-Reply-To: message from dale@pro-colony.cts.com

Dale @ pro-colony writes

(in reply to the following outburst):

>>Apple should have released a faster machine 3 years ago.

>Well, folks, where would Apple have gotten the chips?  Since WDC seems to
>have a problem supplying enough 7 mhz chips for one or two companies that
>can't be selling the same number of products that Apple would be selling
>where would these chips come from?   

hummmm.  I dunno, but I've had a 11 mhz chip in my transwarp for some time
now, and while it can't run much faster than 9mhz due to limitations, it
really wasn't that difficult to acuire.  I'd imagine if you would call
Western Design and order about 10 of them that you could get them in a couple
of days.

>From my understanding (but correct me if I'm wrong), Western Design is more
involved in designing the chip (Research); and not involved in mass producing
the chips (development).  Apple usually purchases its chips from some Taiwan
chip manufacturer.  

I would imagine that a 5 to 6 mhz 65816 chip would be available in quantities;
it's the 9 to 11 mhz variety that seems to be difficult to acquire in large
numbers (100,000's).  

A 6 mhz chip can be pushed up to 7 mhz... (actually, the original chip in my
Transwarp GS is a 6 mhz chip with a 28 mhz crystal which runs at 7 mhz).
Increasing the cache on the card can make it run even faster, I've been told.

Lynda