From: bskendig@netcom.com (Brian Kendig)
Subject: Re: MAC IIvx and Performa 600
Organization: Starfleet Headquarters: San Francisco
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 02:19:32 GMT

ed@kronos.com (Ed Baker) writes:
>According to performance tests I recently saw, the IIvx is much faster
>than the Performa 600.  Yet, the hardware description of the two machines
>is identical except for the IIvx has some cache memory.  Does this account
>for the performance differences, or are there other factors?

You're half-right: the IIvx has 32k of processor cache and a math
coprocessor; the P600 doesn't.  Both contribute considerably to the
IIvx's speed.  You can add these two things to the P600, but that
would just give you the same machine as a IIvx for a higher cost.

>I also seem to be reading a lot of negative things about the IIvx; it won't
>run AUX, it only outputs one channel digitized stereo, etc.  I am ready to
>buy my first Mac and am having trouble sorting everything out.  At first
>the Performa 600 sounded great.  Then after some research, I decided I
>could spend a little more and get the IIvx instead.  I will only be using
>the system at home to run household finances and games.  I have three young
>children who will also be running games.  I don't need AUX or digitized
>stereo.  Is the IIvx just fine for me?  Also, is 80MB hard disk enough?

My IIvx is just right for me: not too fast, not too slow.  Admittedly,
some graphics-intensive games like Hellcats get a slight bit choppy
when there's a lot happening on the screen at once, but in all other
regards it has absolutely no problem keeping up with my fast pace, and
I use it hard (for games, telecommunications, and software
development).  If you want to do a lot of fractals or 3D
modelling/rendering or other really heavy graphics stuff, you'd do
better with a Quadra, but for family use, this machine is perfect.

The lack of digitized stereo really isn't important; SoundTracker is
the only program I've seen that takes advantage of it, and I can live
with mono SoundTracker.  And A/UX 3.0 won't run on _any_ machine with
System 7.1; since the IIvx requires 7.1, that's the problem.  3.0.1 is
in the works to add System 7.1 support.

Go for the IIvx.  Get the model with the CD-ROM, because there are a
lot of educational games and useful publications available on CD-ROM
that your kids will use a lot in school as they grow up.  This model
comes with 5Mb RAM; possibly you might want to buy four 1Mb SIMMs to
bring it up to 8Mb RAM for about $150 (wait and see if you need it).
This model also has enough video memory for 16-bit color (which is
really nice) on the new Apple 14-inch monitor (which I really recommend).

An 80-meg hard drive should also be okay, but that's considered
moderately small these days.  Get AutoDoubler; that's a very simple
way to squeeze 120 megs or more out of the drive.

>I'm buying this thing this week, so let me know if I'm buying the wrong
>machine.  Waiting for future machines is not an option; I have to buy one
>that is currently available.

It's a very nice machine.  Another alternative would be to go for a
IIci, which offers comparable power and a different set of features at
a lower price.  Above those you have a Quadra 700 which would be
overkill for your needs, and below those you have a IIsi which I
wouldn't recommend to anyone right now.  New machines are coming out
in mid-February, but you probably wouldn't be interested in them.
Either the IIvx 5/80/CD or the IIci 5/80 will give you a solid machine
that you can easily expand as time goes on.

-- 
_/_/_/  Brian Kendig                             Je ne suis fait comme aucun
/_/_/  bskendig@netcom.com                de ceux que j'ai vus; j'ose croire
_/_/                            n'etre fait comme aucun de ceux qui existent.
  /  Nolite te bastardes     Si je ne vaux pas mieux, au moins je suis autre.
 /    carborundorum.                                             -- Rousseau
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware