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From: tga@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Greg Ames)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: SIMMS for the Portable
Keywords: Portable SIMMS
Message-ID: <19525@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 18 Feb 90 05:36:34 GMT
References: <1667@umigw.MIAMI.EDU>
Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 31

In article <1667@umigw.MIAMI.EDU> jpb@umbio.miami.edu (Joe Block) writes:
:I am considering getting a Portable but (understandably) am distressed
:by the high price of SIMMs for it.  Is it possible to use the cheap DRAM
:SIMMs or am I stuck with the expensive static ones?  I don't care if
:using the DRAMS means a drastically reduced battery life, I am not
:planning on using it anywhere where I can't find a wall plug.

No.  One of the advantages to using SRAM, besides its lower power
consumption, is the fact that it doesn't need the external refresh
hardware that DRAM needs.  Without this hardware, DRAM won't function.
I also believe the technique to address DRAM is very different than
for SRAM.

:While I am on the subject of SIMMs for the Portable, does anyone know
:of a third party source for them?  Given a choice, I'd prefer to
:upgrade to 4 or 5 Megs of RAM instead of the inadequate 2MB Apple
:is offering.

I'm sure you could find the SIMM's somewhere, if you looked hard enough.
I doubt there are enough portable owners yet to cause enough demand for
the SIMM's to make them as hot an item as DRAM.  I don't think you will
find bigger ones than Apple's, though.  If you can, they'll cost an arm
a leg.  SRAM generally has smaller capacities than DRAM, so I doubt if
anything over 1 meg is available.  Anyone know for sure?

		Greg
--
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