[comp.os.vms] VAXStation-2000 memory expansion

nagy%warner.hepnet@LBL.GOV (Frank J. Nagy, VAX Wizard & Guru) (05/12/88)

>  I have never seen or used the products and am in no way associated
> with the vendor, but, according to ads I have seen, Clearpoint
> Research Corp (1-800-CLEARPT) sells 8 and 16 Mbyte ram boards for the
> MicroVax 2000.  These might also work in the VaxStation, and could
> very well be cheaper than DEC's upgrade to 4 Mbytes (at least per
> Mbyte).  I would be interested in other peoples experiences using
> these products.

>>  I'd be very interested in knowing whether these boards will work in the
>> VaxStation 2000.
     
We had an 8 MB board on loan from Clearpoint for about a month.  We
had it installed in one of our color VS-2000s.  There was no problem
either installing the board or de-installing it.  The VS-2000 is a
4 MB system with a non-DEC RD32 for local page/swap files.  With the
Clearpoint board, we raised the memory to 10 MB (8 MB Clearpoint board
plus 2 MB on the motherboard).  At that level (10 MB plus local page/swap)
the VS-2000 was now outperforming the VAXStation-IIs on our LAVC (the
VS-IIs have 13 MB of memory and local RD53s) as would be expected since
the CPUs are essentially equal and the VS-2000s in this case have the
Dragon graphics coprocessors.

We were sorry to see the memory go.  We also have 2 8 MB boards on order
from Nemonix.  These boards are showing every sign of being vaporware
of the first order.

Finally, our next round of VS-2000 orders will get us 6 MB machines from
DEC.  We will be installing a newer, high speed non-DEC RD32 (now with
a 28 msec access time).  In our LAVCs, such a 6 MB system might have
adequate performance with those resources (6 MB + fast local disk).
If so, then we would leave those systems at 6 MB but still plan to
upgrade all the 4 MB systems.  In an LAVC, 4 MBs in a VS-2000 is very
nearly inadequate memory (about 2000 pages are left free for users
after VMS and its detached processes consume memory).

= Frank J. Nagy   "VAX Guru & Wizard"
= Fermilab Research Division EED/Controls
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