Virtual World #03 19 июня 1997

Amiga

Amiga Club - Super Amigo "A box" against PENTIUM.

         AMIGA CLUB



  Today, I still decided to insert here the text of the 
super-Amiga entitled 'A \ box'. This thing

promises to surpass all existing
home on the market today (and not
only) computer machine. And it
any Pentium fortiori for her
can not keep up that I had not talked about it. Sent me a text
LooKER / MAGIC SOFT, for which he
Thank you very much. I trimmed it a little (well, not angry at
me for it - a memory I saved!), leaving only a description
A \ box'a and to compare the characteristics of the computer of 
the future " PENTIUM MMX. Just from the text

Cut all comments
LooKER'a, and something else that (and that
left it;)).

________________________________

Alexander Ivashchuk


   A \ BOX AGAINST PENTIUM MMX.


   In one corner of the ring contender - with a PowerPC
604e 500 MHz - A \ box! In another
corner - veluschy champion - with 150
MHz Pentium MMX processor, 32
MB RAM, graphic card, PCI, 3D-blaster
sound blaster 32 and EIDE
hard disk - Pentium PC!

-------------------------------

             Round 1

      CPU



        Pentium PC

CPU: Pentium MMX
Relative speed: 100
Processor bus: 32 bit


         Phase 5 A \ box

CPU: PowerPC 604e
Relative speed: 208
Processor bus: 64 bit

Note: A \ box supports
dual-processor! Imagine, two PowerPC 500
MHz !!!!! So even with 64-bit bus!


   What is it? These are the best
processors, which you can
supply to the motherboard
computer. The best processor
for A \ box'a almost twice as fast,
What is the best processor for the Pentium. I however doubt 
that this will be the limit for A \ box 'as well. Amiga 2000 
computer released in 1987, today

can be equipped with a processor 68060! Try to shove
Pentium in the PC / XT or 282nd. I
I hope in the ability to install,
For example, the 630th processor
A \ box in the future.

-------------------------------

            Round 2

             Memory

Note: figures for
Pentium'a were taken for the latest generation of motherboards 
(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 100 MHz external. A \ box so

also uses a common architecture
Memory (UMA), which makes
available for all devices
computer to use a single
the same memory (for graphics, sound, etc.). IN A \ box'e used 
SDRAM memory. Combination "Caipirinha" and give real power 
SDRAM Amiga. 

Speed ​​of main memory


             Pentium

Memory type: 50 ns EDO RAM
Speed: 57.3 MB / sec


         Phase 5 A \ box

Memory Type: SDRAM
Speed: 1.6 GB / s


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


   But this is not an honest fight,
because 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
tells us nothing but the exchange rate between the central
processor and its built-in cache. PowerPC-processor also
has a built-in cache. Size
this cache in the Pentium processor
MMX - 16 kb.


   So the main memory
A \ box'a two times faster than
internal cache at a very fast
Pentium processor and 16-fold
faster than the 256 or 512 kb.
Imagine working 16 or 32 Mb
a memory (A \ box comes
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

            Tyre

Note: listed below are for bus extensions.


         Bus Pentium

Slow: 8-bit ISA
Average: 16-bit ISA
Quick: PCI


           Bus A \ box

Slow: 16-bit DMA
Average: PCI
Quick: Desktop bus


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

-------------------------------

             Round 4

             Graphics


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

a little bit.

Ordinary graphics card with PCI-

          3D-blaster

Memory: 2 MB
Max Resolution: 1280 * 1024

                in 8 bpp
Internal capacity: 64
Bus Speed: 120 MB / s



           Caipirinha

Memory size: more than

              enough
Max Resolution: 1600 * 1200

                in 24 bpp
Internal Width: 128
Bus Speed: 1600 Mb / s


   It is very important rate
bus. In the Pentium Graphics
board communicates with the 3D-blaster through the PCI bus speed
120MB / s. IN A \ box'e and 3D graphics chips are exchanged
inside the "Caipirinha" with each other on 128 bits at 200 MHz. 
This should give the shuttle 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) for cutting-edge model
  nitorov.
o 2 separate video inputs.
o hardware window - the window can

  have any form and to be independent
  pendent from the background (it can

  be in 24 bpp, while the background in 8

  bpp, etc.).
o FAME - vysokoprodvinuty

  blitter, which can copying
  vat graphics of any shape, not

  only rectangular as pa
  it).
o Fully programmable

  DSP-RISC processor, which

  handles the complex you
  lations, such as 3D graphics

  and video compression.

-------------------------------

            Round 5

              Sound



        Soundblaster 32

Yield: 44 kHz 16 bit * 2
Input: 44 kHz 16 bit * 2
Synthesizer: FM
Wave table: Yes


           Caipirinha

Yield: 44 kHz 16 bit * 4
Input: 44 kHz 16 bit * 2
Synthesizer: AM / FM
Wave table: No


   IN A \ box'e no wave table, which is simultaneously good and 
bad. Without it, the game creators are making more effort to 
play music. Music with a wave table sometimes sounds really 
good, but believe me, not always. On the other hand, the wave 
table is ideal if you want create music. At present the music 
in games more often goes straight CD-ROM (such as samples or

track), this A \ box with four audio channels well fused. 
Professional musicians probably do not use a computer wave

table. Amateurs may
likely to appeal to a normal tracker
(Especially with the A \ box'om). However, I
I think cards with wave table can be expected as a supplement.

-------------------------------

             Round 6

      Operating System


   All operating systems
mentioned herein shall not
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 mainly relates to

MacOS, Unix (Linux) and X-Windows.
How good is the compatibility? I do not believe that
X-Windows or Linux, there will
any problems. How about
MacOS? Those who saw
"Shapeshifter" Amiga knows
that the Amiga can emuliroat MacOS
more than good. Why do
A \ box must not yield? You can get almost real
Macintosh, when buy A \ box
(Probably a lot faster than
original). I believe that all these
MacOS, Unix and X-Windows will be
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)
MAK-emulators.


   You may notice that the operating system provided by A \ 
box'om come from three different platforms - Amiga, Mac

and Unix. OSes provided by the Pentium came from PC
and Unix platforms.


   The new operating system in
A \ box'e specially designed for
This powerful computer. Phase
5 Responsibility supports Amiga fans. Since the Amiga OS 3.x
remains the best of operating systems, the new OS will include 
all its benefits, plus suggestions

from users, and since it
will be done to better machines,
OS should get unparalleled.

-------------------------------


             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
it is probably impossible, but
Phase 5 started well. Firstly, it is extremely
an 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, even better.

Photogenics showed that even
Although Amiga seemed dead,
but still there is a bright spark of life - her fans. Here
why there will always be for the program's
Amiga.


   A \ box, it may be usable for programs 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 the number of games. Add to this

All games that have already been made
Amiga.


   Think about it. A \ box would be so powerful machine
that game will receive a new dimension. Every game developer is 
trying to create the most impressive game, which no one before 
him others do not. On the PC you are an endless number of 
titles to choose from. What will it So, when the best games 
will be for A \ box 'as well? Or the number is more important 
than quality? None. 


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


-------------------------------

             Round 8

         Hardware total


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



        Pentium Computer

Processor: Pentium MMX 166 MHz
Main Memory: 32 MB EDO
Graphics card: PCI 2MB +

                   3D-Blaster
Sound Card: Soundblaster 32
Bus interface: ISA, PCI
Hard drives: 1.2 GB IDE
Controller: EIDE, ATAPI


     Standart Phase 5 A \ box

Processor: PowerPC 604e 500 MHz
Main Memory: 16 MB SDRAM

                 with UMA
Graphics card: Caipirinha

                with 3D chipset
Sound Card: Caipirinha
Bus Interface: 16 bit DMA

                   PCI

                   Desktop
Hard drives: 1.0 GB

               FastSCSI-II

               FastSCSI-III
Controllers: LCD (TFT)

             IEEE 1394 firewire

             Video Input / Output

             RGB output

             ultramodern

             Monitors

             Two (RGB, CMYK,

             YUV) Output:
 o PAL / NTSC with support

   GENLOCK
 o-the-art monitors

   Two YUV 4:2:2 - vhoda

   Audio input / output
 about 2 * 44 kHz 16 bit stereo input
 about 4 * 44 kHz 16 bit stereo output



  Additional equipment

o CD-ROM
o ISDN
o The cool graphics

  oborudoanie


-------------------------------

             Round 9

        When and how much?


   Of course the big question -
as 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
CPU - 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).

LooKER> As you can see from the last
press-release'a firm phase 5,
model 604e will cost
$ 2000. This is certainly not cheap,
but, damn it, it is worth it!
There will also be released over
cheapest option.


     When it can be

          Buy?


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


        Have a nice day!

C uvazheniem,

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

________________________________