Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!rutgers!cbmvax!peter
From: peter@cbmvax.commodore.com (Peter Cherna)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Accelerator and Maximum Fast RAM Query
Message-ID: <9786@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 22 Feb 90 17:13:19 GMT
References: <1179@mindlink.UUCP>
Reply-To: peter@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com (Peter Cherna)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 42

In article <1179@mindlink.UUCP> a464@mindlink.UUCP (Bruce Dawson) writes:
>
>     An '030 based Amiga can, in theory, have 4090 Megs of memory, depending on
>whether Commodore has reserved any of that top 4080 Meg memory map.  However,
>that depends on your '030 board.  The A2630 has space for 4 Megs, and a
>connector for extra 32-bit ram when cards become available.  I don't know what
>the equivalent possilibities are for other boards.
>
>     Regardless, you should ditch your 16-bit memory board.  If you're going to
>spend $2,000+ on an '030 board, you don't want it slowing down to 68000 speed.
>But that's exactly what it will do (usually a bit faster than a 68000, but
>sometimes actually slower) if you leave that 16-bit memory in.  So, unless you
>want to be paying $600 (assumed amount you could get for selling the 16-bit
>memory board) for the privilege of having a slower computer, get rid of it.

Perhaps that should be made a bit clearer:  32-bit memory is way better
than the equivalent amount of 16-bit memory.  But the 16-bit memory is
better in all ways than no memory at all.  In other words, you should look
at adding 32-bit memory if you like, but you don't have to pull out your 2058
unless you think you now have "too much" memory.  It is preferable that
your computer slow down to access the 16-bit memory than have a program
exit with an error or guru because the system is out of memory.

Note that the system is set up so that memory allocation uses 32-bit memory
before it moves on to the slower 16-bit memory, and that's why is doesn't
"hurt" to have 16-bit memory around.

>.Bruce Dawson.
>
>     P.S.  Don't forget to get a fat agnus as well, to get rid of that .5 Meg
>of slow fast memory.

Here the system isn't set up properly for best ordering on memory allocation.
Under 1.3, run FastMemFirst to fix that.  So that .5 meg isn't slowing down
your system if you've run FastMemFirst, but if you could use the chip memory
you may as well get a Super Agnus.

     Peter
--
     Peter Cherna, Software Engineer, Commodore-Amiga, Inc.
     {uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!peter    peter@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com
My opinions do not necessarily represent the opinions of my employer.