ken@dali.gatech.edu (Ken Seefried iii) (03/21/91)
In article <27534@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> jdb@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Brian K. W. Hook) writes: > >UNIX? At a reasonable price?! Good luck.... > Highly dependent on the definition of reasonable...your mileage may vary... > >|>Extra cache or extra main memory? > >Overall performance will suffer without enough main memory....immediate >performance will suffer due to lack of cache. Get a 64K cache at least, >especially at 33 mhz. > As I said in my earlier reply, under Unix (and other multitasking OSes), more cache does *not* mean better performance for any given job mix. The optimal amount of cache you need can only be determined empiricly by close examination of what you do on the box... > >|>The High price system is of course the 386/33 Svga with 64k of cache >|>and 4 mg memory. Svga color. > >Get 8MB for UNIX. Period. SCO Open Desktop requires 6MB just to LOAD... > This is absolutely not true. ODT will load and run just fine in 4MB of RAM, although slowly due to excessive paging if you are running X. It will not load in 2MB...I've never tried 3MB. I *think* the ISC/ESIX/Microport crowd can load and run a basic system in 2MB, but someone else will have to confirm this. Something like Xenix will certainly run in 2MB. -- ken seefried iii ken@dali.cc.gatech.edu "If 'ya can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with..."
tron@db.toronto.edu ("Carlos G. Mendioroz") (03/21/91)
Speeking about memory, I have an Everex Step 20 with 4Mb and 64K cache. You can run Unix, load X, etc... Disable the cache and you will notice it. ;-) BUT you can't load X with adb, for example (SCO unix, Roell's X386, no, it is not working :-( ) I added 4 more Mb and it works ok. So I would say it pays to have 8 Mb. Big BUT: Everex Step's don't let you add more memory without adding cache! (I borrowed the memory, I'm not buying cache so I disabled it.) If you want 8 Mb, you need 128 K cache. Just to let everybody know about it...