Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 17:20:36 -0700 (PDT) From: "Rodney W. Grimes" <rgrimes@GndRsh.aac.dev.com> To: tweten@frihet.com Cc: brandon@tombstone.sunrem.com, freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: 3COM network cards.. Message-ID: <199608300020.RAA02151@GndRsh.aac.dev.com> In-Reply-To: <199608300000.RAA04314@ns.frihet.com> from "David E. Tweten" at "Aug 29, 96 05:00:45 pm"
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
> rgrimes@GndRsh.aac.dev.com said: > >You can probably buy a new motherboard and the SMC9332 for what the > >SMC9232 would cost you. > > Does that apply to a PCI/EISA motherboard-with-processor that has at least > 2 PCI slots and 3 EISA slots as well as it does to PCI/ISA motherboards? No. Why on earth would you still want EISA, I just told you to trash your >2 year old technology. It's life is over as far as I and most other resellers are concerned, especially if you want to start playing with 100Mb/s networking, even if you put the EISA SMC9232DST in there your memory to memory bcopy speed is going to be so slow that it just won't be what you expected performance wise. > If so, I'd have to add 32 megabytes of parity memory, Why do you have to ``add 32 MB'', don't you already have memory? Oh.. it's probably 30 pin simms, well, toss that in the trash can too (softly though, the used market is paying about $25.00 stick for 4MB 30 pinners). lets salvage $200.00 from your old memory and buy: XX. CHP SIMM-16MB-4MBx36-60 Memory, SIMM, 4MBx36 - 60nS FPM $ 117.00 XX. CHP SIMM-16MB-4MBx36-60 Memory, SIMM, 4MBx36 - 60nS FPM $ 117.00 That ended up costing you $34.00. > a PCI color graphics > adapter good for 1280x960x8 bits at 70 Hz or better, The PCI graphics adapter is going to cost you: XX. MSI VI-CX-V64PCI Video Card, Cardex, S3/764(TRIO), 2MB DRAM $ 86.00 and it will blow doors on whatever EISA card you have... > and possibly a new > 450-watt power supply (P6s do require 3 volts, don't they?) to that side of > the equation too. Who said P6's, you went way over board. And no, P6's don't require any special power supply unless you go ATX form factor. The chip actually runs on 2.1 to 3.5V depending on the version of the chip, and the motherboard has on board regulation that chops the 5V down. Keep your case and your 450W power supply. > Now if the relationship could only hold for PCI/ISA motherboards, then it > would have to be modified to include all the previous stuff plus three PCI > SCSI-II adapters and an upgrade to a 5-PCI-slot-or-better motherboard. Of > course, the number of PCI slots could be reduced by two by going to a PCI > wide or very wide SCSI adapter, but then I'd have to consider the cost of > disks too. Or going to an aha3940 (ouch, that's spending), but it sounds like you have a huge NFS engine of some sort and your going to try and make it ship bits out at 100Mb/s. Well, I am here to tell you your aging EISA 486 system is _not_ going to be able to do much more than 25Mb/s due to a slow memory channel. Don't waste your money on an EISA ethernet card for it... > > Let's see. What would I have left? The box, I think. When everything is > included, it's a somewhat different question than the one you answered, > which is why I asked about the SMC9232DST in the first place. And I answered your question you posed to me about the 9232DST, no I do not recommend it, I don't have any experience with it. And then I told you what I did recommend. If you don't like my recommendations, don't follow them, no sweat off my back, but don't complain to me about not liking what I recommend. -- Rod Grimes rgrimes@gndrsh.aac.dev.com Accurate Automation Company Reliable computers for FreeBSD
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199608300020.RAA02151>