andyb@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca (Andy Babinszki) (02/06/91)
> Lots of things said ...
Well as long as we're all talking about what we want in a new Mac or entirly new "Apple
Fuzzbutt" computer, I want a system bus that can keep up with changes in system requirements.
I'll elaborate. When the Mac II first came out @ 16 MHz, a 10MHz bus didn't sound
unreasonable. Now, however, when we're seeing top end Macs running at 40MHz ( and
beyond -> rumors... ) isn't 10MHz becoming a bottleneck esp. for graphics? Now I'm
reading in MacWEEK that Apple is planning some kind of ROM U/G to up the bus speed
to 20MHz. Isn't this too little too late? Rather than thinking about the minimum
that they can get away with shouldn't they be thinking of the future? Shouldn't Apple
be using the 10MHz example as an indicator of how quickly a carved in silicon limit
can become a hinderance?
Just my two bits worth.
Ahh! With that off my chest I feel much better! :-)
Andy.
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Andy Babinszki - andyb@tardis.wimsey.bc.cadavoli@natinst.com (Russell Davoli) (02/08/91)
In article <0101001C.2o6zkr@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca>, andyb@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca (Andy Babinszki) writes: > > > Lots of things said ... > > > I'll elaborate. When the Mac II first came out @ 16 MHz, a 10MHz bus didn't sound > unreasonable. Now, however, when we're seeing top end Macs running at 40MHz ( and > beyond -> rumors... ) isn't 10MHz becoming a bottleneck esp. for graphics? Now I'm > reading in MacWEEK that Apple is planning some kind of ROM U/G to up the bus speed > to 20MHz. Isn't this too little too late? Rather than thinking about the minimum > that they can get away with shouldn't they be thinking of the future? Shouldn't Apple [stuff deleted] > > Andy. > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Andy Babinszki - andyb@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca I would be all for a "wicked fast" NuBus, but I think the real hindrance to having a faster bus is creating the spec. I've heard of something called NuBus '90 or something like that that define the 20 MHz spec. NuBus isn't exactly owned by Apple but by TI, so I don't think that Apple can just one day say "NuBus, thou shalt run at 50 Mhz" - not to mention compatibility problems with existing NuBus expansion boards. Being a software guy, I'm no expert on bus nitty-gritty, so I more than welcome any corrections from you hardware gurus on what I've said. Russell Davoli National Instrumets Disclaimer: My opinions are mine, and don't necessarily agree with who pays me.