Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!mcdchg!chinet!saj
From: saj@chinet.chi.il.us (Stephen Jacobs)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Is a faster ST in the cards?
Keywords: speed RAM ASIC
Message-ID: <7107@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 8 Dec 88 02:03:17 GMT
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 16

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.