Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cwjcc!mailrus!um-math!hyc
From: hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Is a faster ST in the cards?
Keywords: speed RAM ASIC
Message-ID: <508@stag.math.lsa.umich.edu>
Date: 9 Dec 88 01:45:00 GMT
References: <7107@chinet.chi.il.us>
Sender: usenet@math.lsa.umich.edu
Reply-To: hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu)
Organization: University of Michigan Math Dept., Ann Arbor
Lines: 45
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In article <7107@chinet.chi.il.us> saj@chinet.chi.il.us (Stephen Jacobs) writes:
%I'm just stirring it up here.  If you read electronics ads, you've noticed
%that the price premium for faster rather than slower memory chips isn't what
%it used to be.  Similarly, I can easily remember when an 8 MHz 68000 used to
%fetch more than the price of a 16 MHz 68000 today.  My understanding of the
%guts of an ST isn't what it might be, but it seems that it would essentially 
%require faster versions of the custom chips and a relatively small change in
%the handling of video refresh to make a top-to-bottom 16 MHz ST that Atari
%could make a profit selling at a price I'd consider paying (yeah, I'm glossing
%over FCC approval--how much of a problem is it? I dunno).
%   Maybe the Atari contingent might consider this a suggestion.  The ST seems
%to match up in raw crunch power roughly even with an AT-class machine with
%20-30% faster clock speed.  The magazines suggest that the up-and-coming home
%computer is a ~20 MHz AT clone (I wouldn't want one, but so what?).  A faster
%ST would line up nicely there, with the (if and when) 68030 box leaning heavily
%on the 80386-based office class of machines.
%   I'm greedy.  I don't wanna lose that cpu speed to wait states ANYWHERE.

Well, Megabyte Computers in Texas has yet to deliver on their promised Turbo16
upgrade. Now, two months after their expected release, I have to believe that
it's not as easy as all that. Unfortunate. I was really looking forward to it.
(Y'know, a Mega-4 with a 68000 running at 16 MHz, with 68881 [or 68882] math
coprocessor, would probably outclass a Sun 3/50. Throw in the 19 inch mono
screen and it would be a very very slick workstation.)

I think you're being too conservative re: the 68030. Why restrict 'em to office
machines? A slower-clocked 68030 would make a pretty decent home workhorse, eh?
(And to think, a few months ago I would've given anything for a 25Mhz 68020...)
Lotsa nice dreams.

I heard, don't remember where, that an ST with a 16 MHz CPU could not be used
with the blitter chip. (I'd really like to remember where I heard this, 'cause
I'd like to know who's got an ST working with a 16 MHz CPU!!) That'd be awful
depressing, if true. (Of course, SoftTrek's TurboST would still work. Gee,
200% CPU speedup, oughta mean 400% faster textblits! Wow! Maybe I shouldn't
have sold my 1040 after all...)

I heartily agree with that last line. I wanna run flat out, top speed, no
obstacles... Gimme faster chips! (Yeehah!)
--
  /
 /_ , ,_.                      Howard Chu
/ /(_/(__                University of Michigan
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