Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!dino!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!jarthur!jmerrill
From: jmerrill@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Jason Merrill)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 386 and 386SX...what is the difference?
Message-ID: <4228@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 7 Feb 90 22:19:16 GMT
References: <2757@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> <13214.25cec56f@max.u.washington.edu> <35642@mips.mips.COM>
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Lines: 12

In article <35642@mips.mips.COM> rr@pika.mips.com (Robert "Bob" Rodriguez) writes:
>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 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.

About half of that is accurate.  The SX has a 32 bit address path, not 24.
It can access 4 gigs, just like the 386 -- the ONLY difference is the bus.

--
Jason Merrill				jmerrill@jarthur.claremont.edu