Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!bloom-beacon!snorkelwacker!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!pika.mips.com!rr From: rr@pika.mips.com (Robert "Bob" Rodriguez) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: 386 and 386SX...what is the difference? Message-ID: <35642@mips.mips.COM> Date: 7 Feb 90 21:52:12 GMT References: <2757@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> <13214.25cec56f@max.u.washington.edu> Sender: news@mips.COM Lines: 13 The real difference is: a 386 SX has a 24 bit address path and a 16 bit data path. This allows it to address 24 MB and plug into existing '286-like' boards. Its I/O is very similar if not identical to the 286. The 386 DX of course has a 32 bit address and 32 bit data path. This gives addressability over 4 GB of memory. The speed differences between a 386 DX and 386 SX at the same frequency are all attributable to the multiple memory and I/O bus accesses. Robert Rodriguez rr@mips.com hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to workstations I go.....