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- From: cyberman@exucom.com (Stephen R. Phillips)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.intel
- Subject: Re: 486dx, 486sx, 386sx
- Message-ID: <1993Jan9.190012.12323@exucom.com>
- Date: 9 Jan 93 19:00:12 GMT
- References: <1993Jan6.134604.3089@shearson.com>
- Distribution: comp.sys.intel
- Organization: ExuCom Multimedia Inc.
- Lines: 40
- X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
-
- Lon G. Parisi (lparisi@shearson.com) wrote:
- : Hello all,
- : I know this question has been perpetuated over and over, but with so many
- : responses and opinions, I have to ask. What is the difference between
- : the 486sx and 486dx. I have called Intel directly. The have told be that
- : there is no difference in the chip other than the dx has a coprocessor.
- : Intel stressed to me that the 486sx WAS a true 486 unlike the 386sx which was
- : a glorified 286 chip.
-
- 386sx a glorified 286? NOT! Quite untrue it's a 386 with a
- 16 bit buss and limited addressing. Other than that it's a full 32 bit
- processor internally. If they told you that, then gee let's wonder about
- whatever else they told you :)
-
- : Assuming what I have stated is fairly accurate, the next question I have is
- : the wait state of a computer. How do you know what machines have zero
- : wait states. I am in the market for a new PC (got to replace the old XT) and
- : am considering a Packard Bell 486sx with SVGA monitor and 1meg SVGA card 4meg
- : ram and a 25Mhz clock speed. This is just for my home to do small "check-book"
- : type spread sheets, some light database work, games, etc. Now of course the
- : salespeople tell me that the 486sx is going to fall short of my needs. I can't
- : see why anyone would ever release any machine that could not satisfy those
- : light needs, do you? Unless there is something I am not aware of like
- : slow graphics due to the SVGA or something like that. I would greatly
- : appreciate any responses especially if you are familiar with the Packard Bell
- : machine itself.
-
- The problem with speed in SVGA has little if anything to do with
- proccessor speed it in fact has to do with bus width and memory speed to
- the VGA card. ISA is limited to 8mhz and 16 bits. So if you want video
- performance get a local bus mother board. this is 32bits at proccessor
- speed. Translated 32bits @ processor speed. So a 33 mhz 486 at 32 bits
- would have at least 8.25 times the speed of an ISA based board.
-
- This of course requires you to have a local bus video card.
-
- Cyberman
- --
- This is my sig file!
- Read rec.games.programer!
-