Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!RICHTER.MIT.EDU!krowitz
From: krowitz@RICHTER.MIT.EDU (David Krowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re:  DN300
Message-ID: <8811281448.AA02878@richter.mit.edu>
Date: 28 Nov 88 14:48:43 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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The DN300 is a desk top machine based on the 68010 chip, while the DN3000 is
based on the 68020 and the 68881 floating point processor. The DN300 (as
opposed to the 320 or 330) has no floating point hardware (the 320 has a
PEB board and the 330 has the same chip set as the 3000) and is 2 to 3
times slower than the DN3000. It can run all of the system software, and
can run FTN, C, and PAS programs which have been compiled with the -CPU ANY
option (which is the default). It can not execute programs compiled with
the -CPU 3000 option, as it does not have any floating point hardware.
Unless you are getting the machine *very* cheaply (like less than $500) I
would recommend that you do not buy the machine. The difference in hardware
maintenance costs will justify the purchase of a DN3000 (at the university
discount rate of $3500) in less than two years. If your university, like MIT,
charges overhead on maintenance contracts but not on capital equipment 
purchases, then you can make up the difference in purchase price in a little
over a year (our overhead rate is over 60%). A DN300 is more than $170/month
to maintain, and a DN3000 is less than $70/month. 


 -- David Krowitz

krowitz@richter.mit.edu   (18.83.0.109)
krowitz%richter@eddie.mit.edu
krowitz%richter@athena.mit.edu
krowitz%richter.mit.edu@mitvma.bitnet
(in order of decreasing preference)