From: seanmcd@ac.dal.ca
Subject: PowerPC ruminations; was Re: LCIII->PowerPC?
Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Lines: 47

In article <186177@pyramid.pyramid.com>, andrem@pyrtech.mis.pyramid.com (Andre Molyneux) writes:
> In article <1qksuq$1tt8@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu>, mirsky@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu
> (David Joshua Mirsky) writes:
> |> Hi. I own an LCIII and I recently heard an interesting rumor.
> |> I heard that the LCIII has a built in slot for a PowerPC chip.
> |> Is this true? I heard that the slot is not the same as the PDS
> |> slot.  Is that true?
> |> 
> |> Thanks
> |> David Mirsky
> |> mirsky@gnu.ai.mit.edu
> 
> Well, I also have an LC III.  Popping the top revealed:
> 
> 	One "socket" for an additional VRAM SIMM
> 
> 	One "socket" for a 72-pin RAM SIMM
> 
> 	One socket for a flat-pack FPU
> 
> 	A processor-direct slot (PDS) identical to the LC/LC II, but with
> 	an additional set of connetions to one side (for the full 32-bit
> 	data path that the LC/LC II lacked
> 
> That's it.  I guess a board with a PowerPC chip could be made that would fit
> in the PDS, but that's the only place.
> 
So, will it be possible to have a NuBus or PDS PowerPC upgrade, or will it 
require a logic board swap? It would be interesting for Apple to come out with
a NuBus PowerPC that allowed use of the CPU's 680x0, like RocketShare. But I 
guess that's getting a bit fantastic!

I was wondering, since MacWeek reported that developers were 'seeded' with
PowerPCs on a NuBus card.

Also, any word on machine arrivals or estimated speed? Last I heard, the 
estimates were around 3-4 times the speed of a Quadra in native RISC mode. I
heard an Apple employee mumble something about the arrival of PowerPC machines
at a much earlier date that Q1 94, but I doubt it's true.

Finally, is the PowerPC developer's CD 'mini-course' available? I saw it 
advertised in the developer's university calendar, and I'd like to know if it's
at all *interesting*.

Sean
--------------
seanmcd@ac.dal.ca
