Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site terak.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!hao!noao!terak!doug From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) Newsgroups: net.micro.16k Subject: Re: Corrigenda (24-bit addresses) Message-ID: <400@terak.UUCP> Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 10:46:34 EST Article-I.D.: terak.400 Posted: Wed Feb 27 10:46:34 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 11-Mar-85 10:59:23 EST References: <794@sjuvax.UUCP> <5025@utzoo.UUCP> <2342@nsc.UUCP> Organization: Terak Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA Lines: 28 > (a) 32 bits is a bit less than five Eagles worth of byte-addressed data. I > can easily concoct a microprocessor application where direct addressing > of that data space is desirable, if not necessary. A *microprocessor* application???? Come on now, let's get serious. I _might_ grant that for an AI application you would need that kind of high-speed random-access memory, but no sane person would *ever* choose a 68xxx/32xxx type processor for AI. You need a *lot* more MIPS than that. Let's see, using 256K DRAMs at $15 each, the cost of the RAM chips alone for each megabyte is $540. This presumes that you have parity on each byte (you do understand that in a system with more than 16 Mb of DRAM that you simply *must* have parity checking to detect soft errors from alpha particles, and that error-correcting would be highly desirable?). So your first 16 Mb is gonna cost you $8640 in DRAM chips alone, and you're concerned that you want significantly more than that. So you're gonna spend maybe 20 G's or more on a memory system, and to "cut costs" you're gonna use an off-the-shelf microprocessor like a 68020 or 32032? Gimme a break! If _you_ really want to do that, fine. But don't feel hurt if Nat'l, Motorola, et al don't rush right out and spend tens of millions of bucks designing a microprocessor chip just for you! -- Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug