Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!caip!topaz!GUBBINS From: GUBBINS@RADC-TOPS20.ARPA Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga Subject: Re: Another ST-AMIGA comparison Message-ID: <3818@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Fri, 27-Sep-85 17:01:24 EDT Article-I.D.: topaz.3818 Posted: Fri Sep 27 17:01:24 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 1-Oct-85 10:39:26 EDT Sender: daemon@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 18 From: GernI believe that the Amiga uses 64Kx4 chips so that the 68000 can perform a 16-bit data path memory access while the machine only has 256K of memory (in 8 chips). If the Amiga had eight 256Kx1 chips, it could not do a 16-bit memory access without extra circuits/extra cycles to do a 8-bit twice multiplexedfetch. Hence, using 64Kx4 256K-bit chips, it can hit four of these 8 chips at once to perform 16-bit and still have 256Kbytes of memory (taking up only 8 chips). The Atari 520ST, I believe, has to trash the 130?ST because they were using the 256Kx1 and the extra circuitry was too much. Hence, only a 512Kbyte machine is available with 16 256Kx1 chips (hitting all 16 chips for a 16-bit operation. Cheers, Gern -------