Re: 8MB GS RAM cards

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Supertimer writes ...
> 
> Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote:
> 
> >     If you check Apple's Hardware References for the IIgs (the original
> >and with-ROM-03 releases), you will find that Apple clearly states that
> >the GS supports up to 4MB Expansion RAM

 ....

> 
> Hey Rubywand, check page 358 of the Apple IIGS Owners Reference
> (for the ROM 3).
> 
> The second bullet from the top clearly says "total expansion
> potential of the [memory expansion] slot is 7MB"...
> 
> I don't know about original/ROM 01, but by ROM 3, 8MB was the
> "official" maximum.  ;-)


     And, you could say the same for ROM-01. In fact, there have been
fewer 8MB ROM-01 problem reports, possibly because ROM-03 supposedly
includes a bug which was not patched until System 6.0.1.

     The built-in 4MB hardware limitation mentioned in the Hardware
Manuals with the need for a kludge for 4MB+ Expansions remains. As a
result, 8MB Mem Expansion card users are left wondering how this or that
accelerator + SCSI interface + version of System will perform.

     On which versions of which 8MB card do you pull which (if any) 1MB
chunk(s) of RAM to get what sort of performance on which version of GS
with which accelerator and SCSI interface under which popular OS
versions?

     One would expect that, if you sell an 8MB Mem Expansion card, then,
you have taken a few weeks to test it on ROM-01 and ROM-03 GS's with
several popular accelerator and SCSI Interface combinations ...


   Accelerator                  SCSI Interface (+ Hard disk)
                        _    _
ZipGS 8/16, 9/32,        |  |  Apple SCSI
  10/64                  |  |  Apple Hi-Speed SCSI
8k TransWarp v1.5        |--|  pre 3.01f RamFAST SCSI's
32k TransWarp v1.7 & 1.8_|  |  3.01f RamFAST SCSI
                            |  Focus 80MB Hard Card drive/ SCSI present
                            |_ Focus 80MB Hard Card drive/ no SCSI

under ProDOS-8, old 'ProDOS-16', System 5.0.4, System 6.0, System 6.0.1.


     Naturally, your published specs and docs would say which setups
work and how well. For example, a user would know that such 'n such a
setup works okay except that DMA must be OFF or that you can not have a
RAM5 RAM disk or you must boot System 6.0.1 or ... . If any setups were
especially good-- you get full 8MB DMA, RAM5, and can boot any OS--
these would be described.

     We already know that users have posted all kinds of problem
reports. Evidently, however "standard" a 7MB ROM-03 or 8MB ROM-01 mem
Expansion is supposed to be according to some User's Manual, it is not
quite 'standard enough'.

     So, where is the info from the 8MB card makers? 



Rubywand