Maximum #36 17 апреля 1997

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AMIGA NEWS - Budeschee - it's Amiga ...

               AMIGA NEWS


 (C) Alexander Ivashchuk


            A \ box against the Pentium MMX

            The future of this A / box



   In 1993 I sold my Amiga 1200 because of the dark future
Amiga and the lack of games, instaliruemyh your hard drive. 
Today, In 1997, I plan to buy the Amiga. Why? Is Amiga is not 
dead and buried? And the answer is \ box. No, never Amiga not 
die, she just slept. Today, I believe much more strongly in the 
salvation of the Amiga than in the past five years. 

-------------------------------------------------- -------------
The future is .......

[AMIGA POWER]

"A \ box" not only Amiga-clone:


   Draco "from Macrosystem first Amiga, released after the Amiga
4000T. "Draco" Amiga-compatible until such time as the program's
use a procedure operating system for graphics, sound and input 
/ output. Most of the games and some of the program's not 
working for "Draco". 



   PIOS one. "This computer is still able to outline fees. This 
is not Amiga-clone, as it is BeOS computer. If here and there 
will be Amiga-compatible, it will be possible very limited.




   Eagle 4000TE and 1200TE ". These computers are based on the 
Amiga 4000 and 1200-based computers from the company's Eagle. 
A4000, and Eagle 4000TE can easily be reduced to today's 
standards with Cybervision 64/3D and new processor (Phase 5: s 
060/PowerPC-board). C A4000 them ready to battle any 
Pentium-monster. I would have bought it today, if its price in 
this configuration was not so much more than I can afford. 

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Where the future begins

[A-box]

".... It is time for a radical leap forward in technology, the 
need to have born the prototype of a computer for the next 
millennium. " 

          Wolfe deuteron, the chief director of Phase 5.

Concepts, which built the standard components of the world PC,
never give that space, which was given the lead
computer platform, such as the Amiga 1000, 12 years ago. "

          Gerald Caird, technical director of Phase 5.

Will the A \ Box is the same as it was an outstanding A1000? 
Maybe yes, maybe not, but A \ box best attempt I've seen since

times. The more I read about A \ box, the more it produces
impression on me.


   Let's get to the facts ...

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A \ box against the Pentium MMX.


   In one corner of the ring contender - with a PowerPC 603e 
processor 150 MHz - A \ box! In the other corner - veluschy 
champion - with a 150 MHz Pentium MMX processor, 32 MB RAM, 
Graphics Card PCI, 3D-blaster, sound blaster 32 and EIDE hard 
drive - Pentium PC! 


   If we omit the obvious - that the A \ box looks much
cooler - we'll start with the weakest point in the computer 
hardware A \ box 

-------------------------------------------------- -------------
         Round 1: The CPU

Pentium computer Phase 5 A \ box
                   CPU
Pentium MMX PowerPC 603e
              Relative rate

    125 100
            Processor bus.

  32 bit 64 bit


   Sad but true - the dough SPECint95 - Pentium MMX up to 25%
faster than the 603e at the same frequency. But, of course, if
bothers you - you can always put two processors in
A \ box, as it supports the dual-processor. I do not
know the effectiveness of 64-bit processor bus, but it is more 
than likely that A \ box accelerate at the 25% with the faster 
bus CPU.



Bysokoskorostnye processors

(Guess)

Pentium computer Phase 5 A \ box
                  CPU
Pentium MMX 300 MHz PowerPC 604e 500 MHz

          Calculated the relative velocity

      100 208


   What is it? This is the best processor that you can put in a 
computer motherboard. The best processor for A \ box'a two 
times faster than the best processor for the Pentium. I however 
doubt that this will be the limit for A \ box ' Yes. Amiga 2000 
computer was released in 1987, can now be equipped with a 68060 
processor! Try to cram in Pentium PC / XT or 282nd. I hope in 
the ability to install, for example, 630th processor A \ box in 
the future. 

Note: This processor does not exist yet and may not be
will be finished, but these figures have already been mentioned 
somewhere. numbers I have heard



   Imagine a real computer, which can easily be equipped with 
two 500 MHz processors with 64 bit bus. 

-------------------------------------------------- -------------
            ROUND 2: Memory

Note: figures for Pentium'a were taken for maternal
boards of the last generation (SDRAM, Triton II, SRAM cache, 
etc.) 


   Here A \ box begins to show its power. Heart of A \ box does 
not only the CPU. Here we also find the "Caipirinha". 
"Caipirinha" a 128-bit chip that runs on an internal frequency 
of 200 MHz and external 100 MHz. A \ box also uses a common 
architecture Memory (UMA), which makes it accessible to all 
devices in the computer use the same memory (for graphics, 
sound etc.). IN A \ box'e used SDRAM memory. A combination of 
"Caipirinha" and give real power SDRAM Amiga. 


Speed ​​of main memory Pentium computer Phase 5 A \ box.

               Memory Type
50 ns EDO RAM SDRAM
                Speed
57.3 MB / s 1.6 GB / s


   Yes, according to available information, that's right - 1.6 
GB / s!!! 



   But it's not fair fight, because the Pentium also uses 
keshpamyat (well you know .. TE 256 or 512 kb, which you have). 



   Speed ​​cache Pentium


   External cache


   100 MB / s


   Internal cache


   800 MB / s

Note: The internal cache is not telling us anything, except 
speed exchange between central processor and its built-in cache.

PowerPC-processor also has a built-in cache. The size of this 
cache in the processor Pentium MMX - 16 kb.



   So the main memory A \ box'a two times faster than the 
internal cache is a very fast Pentium processor and 16 times 
faster than the 256 or 512 kb. Imagine working 16 or 32 Mb of 
this Memory (A \ box comes with 16 Mb).



   Furthermore, A \ box can be expanded up to 1 GB (1,024 MB) 
of RAM. Standard Pentium can support 32, 64, 128 or a maximum 
of 256 MB. 

-------------------------------------------------- -------------
            ROUND 3: Types of tires

Note: listed below are for bus extensions.

Bus Pentium Phase 5 A \ box
                Slow
8-bit ISA 16-bit DMA
                 Average
16-bit ISA PCI
                 Fast
PCI Desktop bus


   Slowest Bus A \ box'a has data transfer rate
132 MB / s, the fastest bus Pentium - 120 MB / s.

-------------------------------------------------- -------------
            Round 4: Graphics


   "Caipirinha" is just a great chip. It serves most of the 
things in the computer graphics are no exception. UMA 
architecture allows to use very fast memory for graphics, its 
scope is limited only by the amount of main memory. A \ box has 
already exceeded standard Pentium when it came to graphics, but 
here's a little more. 

Ordinary graphics card with PCI-3D-blaster Caipirinha

              Memory capacity
2 MB More than enough

             Maximum resolution
1280 * 1024 in 8 bpp 1600 * 1200 in 24 bpp

             Internal capacity
64 128

              Bus Speed
120 MB / s 1600 MB / s



   It is very important bus speed. In the Pentium graphics card
communicates with the 3D-blaster through the PCI bus at speeds 
of 120MB / s. IN A \ box'e and 3D graphics chips are exchanged 
within the "Caipirinha" with each other on 128 bits at 200 MHz. 
This should give transfers 3200 MB / s!! 


   But not only in the usual graphical output A \ box has an 
advantage. He is also equipped with: 


   o hardware MPEG-ASSISSTANCE.

   o Genlock-compatible 24 bit video output (RGB, CMYK, or YUV)

     for PAL / NTSC.

   o 24 bit output (RGB, CMYK, or YUV) to monitor 
sepersovremennyh      tori.


   o 2 separate video inputs.

   o hardware window - the window can be any shape and be 
independent      pendent from the background (it can be in 24 
bpp, while the background in 8bpp and 

     etc.).

   o FAME - vysokoprodvinuty blitter, which can copy

     graphics of any shape, not just rectangular as before).

   o Fully programmable DSP-RISC processor, which formed
     modest scale complex computations, such as 3D graphics and 
video      deokompressiya.


-------------------------------------------------- -------------
             ROUND 5: Sound

             Audio capabilities
Soundblaster 32 Caipirinha

                 Exit
44 kHz 16 bit * February 1944 kHz 16 bit * 4

                 Login
44 kHz 16 bit * February 1944 kHz 16 bit * 2

              Synthesizer

      FM FM / AM

          Wave table (Wavetable)

     Yes No


   IN A \ box'e no wave table, which is simultaneously
good and bad. Without it, the game creators put more effort
to play music. Music with a wave table sometimes
sounds really good, but believe me, not always. C
On the other hand, the wave table is ideal if you want to 
create music. At present the music in games more often goes 
straight from the CD (as samples or tracks), this A \ box with 
four audio channels well fused. Professional musicians

probably do not use a computer wave table. Fans may have to 
taste a normal tracker (especially with A \ box'om). However, I 
think the card with wave table can be expected as a supplement. 

-------------------------------------------------- -------------
          ROUND 6: Operating System


   All operating systems are not mentioned here are not made
important.


   A \ box will come with a completely new operating system, 
which will dvoichnosovmestimoy with Amiga OS 3.x. In addition, 
the system will be open to other operating systems, and 
emulators. This is generally refers to the MacOS, Unix (Linux) 
and X-Windows. How good to be compatible? I do not believe that 
the X-Windows or Linux encounter any problems. What about 
MacOS? Those who saw "Shapeshifter" Amiga knows that the Amiga 
can emuliroat MacOS more than good. Why is it A \ box should 
give? You may get almost a real Macintosh, when buy A \ box 
(possibly much faster than the original). I believe that all 
those MacOS, Unix and X-Windows will work very well and this 
should be enough after you've bought Amiga. 


   Pentium provides Dos, Unix (Linux), X-Windows, Windows
95, OS / 2 and some bad (relatively shapeshifter'a) 
Masemulyatorov. 


   You can see that operating systems provide
A \ box'om come from three different platforms - Amiga, Mac and
Unix. OSes provided by the Pentium came from the PC and
Unix platforms.


   The new operating system in A \ box'e specially designed for
This powerful computer. Phase 5 Amiga fans responsibly 
supports. Since the Amiga OS 3.x remains the best of operating 
systems, the new OS will include all of its advantages plus the 
wishes from users, and since it will be done to better machines,

OS should get peerless (or almost).

-------------------------------------------------- -------------
        ROUND 7: Software


   Phase 5 is trying to do the impossible when it tries to pave 
the way for "new" model. Mac and PC is so strong that it is 
probably impossible, but Phase 5 started well. Firstly, it is 
extremely impressive machine with a good system. And she 
already has a large and loyal group (Amiga-fans). Also 
available a huge software support (and play). Photogenics a 
good example. It is also good as Photoshop, maybe even better. 
Photogenics showed that even though Amiga seemed dead, but 
still a bright spark of life - Her fans. That is why there will 
always be program's Amiga. 


   A \ box, may be suitable for use by programs
for Amigi, the Mac, Unix and X-windows. This will solve the 
problem with all necessary programa. How, then, the situation 
with games? Most of the good toys are created for PC and Mac. 
Therefore, you should have a decent amount of games. Add to 
that all the games have already been made for the Amiga.



   Think about it. A \ box would be so powerful machine that
Games will be a new dimension. Every game developer tytaetsya
create the most impressive game, which to him no one else
did. On the PC you are an endless number of titles on
choice. What will it mean when the best games will be for A \ 
box ' huh? Or the number is more important than quality? None.



   This will happen with games and with the programa. More
voziozhno titles will be released for PC, but under the 
program's A \ box would be better.


-------------------------------------------------- -------------
            ROUND 8 - Hardware outcome


   Below Pentium, in my optimistic predictions
a PC for gaming at the moment will be released on A \ box. 
Listed below A \ box is a standard middle-class A \ box. I 
would have bought slightly more memory and maybe a faster 
processor (although it is not necessary).



            The hardware part
Pentium Computer Standard Phase 5 A \ box

               Processor
Pentium MMX 166 MHz PowerPC 603e 150 MHz

            Main memory
32 MB EDO 16 MB SDRAM with UMA

               Graphic card
PCI 2MB + 3D-Blaster Caipirinha (with 3D chipset)

            Sound Card
Soundblaster 32 Caipirinha

               Bus Interfaces
ISA, PCI 16 bit DMA, PCI, Desktop

             Hard Drives
1,2 GB IDE 1,0 GB FastSCSI-II

              Controllers
EIDE, ATAPI FastSCSI II
                               LCD (TFT)
                          IEEE 1394 Firewire
                        Video Input / Output
                           RGB output
                        ultramodern
                               Monitors
                    Two (RGB, CMYK, YUV) Output:
                o PAL / NTSC with support dzhenloka
                o-the-art monitors
                       Two YUV 4:2:2 - entrance

              Audio input / output

44kHz 16 bit stereo 44 kHz 16 bit stereo input

   input and output of 4 * 44 kHz 16 bit output

          Additional equipment

CD-ROM o CD-ROM
                        o ISDN
                        o The cool graphics
                          oborudoanie


-------------------------------------------------- -------------
           ROUND 9: When and how much?


   Of course the big question - how many A \ box will cost?


   The first two models A \ box'a will have a representative 
price 3000 DM (US $ 2000) or 4000 DM

(US $ 2700) depending on the type of processor - 150 MHz 603e or
150 MHz 604e. Later will be released cheaper model with 64-bit
bus. It will cost about 1500 DM (US $ 1000).


   When it will be available?


   A \ box should be released sometime in the second half of 
1997. I really hope that these calculations are correct. If I 
have to wait longer than indicated - I probably lose my mind. 

[AMIGA POWER]


   Have a nice day!

               C uvazheniem, __
                   __ / / / 2:467 / 17.0 @ fidonet
                   \ \ \ / / / Alex17@amiga.odessa.ua
                    \ / / / Alexander Ivashchuk