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Optional Docking Base
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'1994 Compaq Computer Corporation. All right* reserved. Compaq, Centura Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark office Aero is a trademark of Compaq Computer Circle Reader Service Number 1 70 Few information via fax on our limited warranty, consult the Compaq CtBtomw Support Center at l -800-345-1518, select the PaqF.ix option and request document number 1217.
Corporation. *SlK and weight indicated arc for the Conlura Aero 4/25 Model 84 and Model 170. Mockl 4/33C pictured here weighs 4.2 lbs, 'Batteries and certain options covered by a one- year warranty. Certain restrictions and exclusions may apply. For Aero product information, select document number 4010. Estimated reseller price. Prices will vary. Model 4/33C pictured here starting at $2,199. The Intel Inside logo is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation.
COMPUTE
VOLUME 16, NUMBER 6, ISSUE 165
JUNE 1994
FEATURES 18
TEST LAB
Edited by Mike Hudnali
We test seven super
Pentium systems with power
to burn.
CHIPS AHOY: THE NEW CPUs
By Steven J.
Vaughan-Nichols
How to choose the CPU
that's right for you.
55
COMPUTE'S GETTING STARTED WITH™ PC SOUND
By Richard 0. Mann
and David English
PC do-re-mi's in a nutshell.
78
PRODUCTIVITY CHOICE
By Clifton Karnes
WinWriter 600 from
Lexmark.
COLUMNS
4 EDITORIAL LICENSE
By Clifton Karnes Rude Windows programs.
6 WINDOWS WORKSHOP
By Clifton Karnes Adding a second hard drive.
8 FEEDBACK
Edited by Robert Bixby Answers to tough questions.
16
INTRODOS
By Tony Roberts Clean up your CONFIG.SYS.
34
PROGRAMMING POWER
By Tom Campbell MicroHelp's HighEdit.
36
TIPS & TOOLS
Edited by Richard C. Leinecker Tips from our readers.
Cover photo by Mark Wagoner of an Austin Pentium displaying Windows wallpaper from Second Nature.
40
HARDWARE CLINIC
By Mark Minasi Replace your 386.
80
ONLINE
By Robert Bixby The world through a wire.
136
NEWS & NOTES
By Jill Champion Booth Top computer news.
MULTIMEDIA PC 65
FAST FORWARD
By David English Multimedia goes Hollywood.
66
SCIENCE-FICTION CD-ROMs
By Scott A. May
If you're interested in
software that packs the
future on a CD-ROM, this is
the place to get started.
72
NEW MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTS
Edited by Polly Cillpann
Cool new hardware and hot
new software for your
multimedia PC.
76
MULTIMEDIA SPOTLIGHT
By Scott A. May Rock Rap 'N Roll from Paramount Interactive.
ENTERTAINMENT 82
DISCOVERY CHOICE
By Peter Scisco
Zurk's Learning Safari from Soleil.
86
GAME INSIDER
By Peter Olafson
TSR and SSI are
going their separate ways,
but SSI still has
plenty of great stuff
in store.
88
ENTERTAINMENT CHOICE
By Scott A. May
Gabriel Knight from Sierra.
90
GAMEPLAY
By Denny Atkin
Hands-on previews of
MicroProse's hot new F-14
Fleet Defender flight
simulator and Interplay's
medieval multimedia game,
Castles II CD-ROM.
92
TAKE CONTROL
By Denny Atkin The current crop of PC game controllers is hot!
REVIEWS 101
Megahertz XJ1 144,
Corel Ventura 4.2,
3-D Dinosaur Adventure,
Archon Ultra,
Canvas 3.51,
FontMinder 2.0,
Sinn Farm,
PharmAssist,
Masterclips,
Electric Reading Land,
Video Jam,
NHL Hockey,
Air Duel, and more.
ADVERTISERS' INDEX
See page 121.
COMPUTE (ISSN 0194-357X) is published monthly in the U.S. and Canada by COMPUTE Publicalions International Ltd , 1965 Broadway New York, NY 10023-5965. Volume 16, Number 6, Issue 165. Copyright ® 1994 by COMPUTE Publications International Ltd All rights reserved. COMPUTE is a registered trademark of COMPUTE Publications International Ltd. Distributed worldwide (except in Australia and the U.K.) by Curtis Circulation Company. P.O. Box 9102, Pennsauken, NJ 08109. Distributed in Australia by Tne Horwitz Group, P.O. Box 306, Cammeray NSW 2062 Australia, and in the U.K. by Seymour Press Ltd., Windsor House, 1270 London Rd., Nor bury, London SW1642H England. Second-class postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COMPUTE Magazine, PO Box 3245, Harlan, IA 51537-3041 (800) 727-6937. Entire contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Subscriptions: U.S. and AFO— $19.94 per year, Canada— $32.04 per year, elsewhere — $29.94 per year. S;ngle copies: U.S. — $2.95 each. The publisher disclaims all responsibility to return unsolicited matter, and all rights in portions published thereof remain the sole property of COMPUTE Publications International Ltd. Letters sent to COMPUTE or its editors become the property of the magazine. Editorial offices are located at 324 W. Wendover Ave.. Ste. 200, Greensboro, NC 27408. (910) 275-9809
Printed in the U.S. by R. R. Donnelley & Sons Inc. 2 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
#R126607415
THE PLANET'S HOTTEST HARDWARE
MEETS THE PLANET'S COOLEST SOFTWARE.
INTRODUCING GAME BLASTER CD 16.
All the leaders of the gaming universe have joined forces. And now they're coming to get you. No other game experience can prepare you for what's waiting inside the new Game Blaster CD"1 16 mul- timedia upgrade kit.* You get a Sound Blaster"1 16-bit sound card and speakers that make all your games sound terrifyingly real. A double- speed CD-ROM, so all your games run Ifejjj^,. faster. An FX-2000
IH joystick, so you can hone your reflexes. Not to mention the
most outrageous games in the cosmos — Rebel Assault and Sim City 2000 — and for the next six months, no other kits have them. But that's not all. Game Blaster also includes Return to Zork, Iron Helix, F-II7A Stealth Fighter, Silent Ser- vice II, Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, and Grolier s Multimedia Encyclopedia. Of course, all your games will sound better because they're made to be played on Sound Blaster. The question is, can you handle it? Want more info or the name of a Creative Labs dealer?
CREATIVE
Call 1-800-998-5227. e r-«*t ■ « TT* »-*, i * a .
'Suggested Rct.nl Price $549.9,5 ' 1994 Crc.it ivc 1 cciinoli^i' Ltd. Game Waster CD, Sound Blaster, and the Sound Blasm and Creative logos art traxJemffi&s efOeatiw Tedinoli *v Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. U.S. inquiries Crewwe Libs J -800-998-522 7 or 40&-428-6600. httmational inepurks Cwatrre Tedmokgy Ltd.. Singapore, TEL 65-773-0233 LAX 65-773 0353 .
Circle Reader Service Number 125
Editor Clifton Karnes Art Director Robin Case Mykytyn
EDITORIAL Managing Editor David English Features Editor Robert Bixby Reviews Editor Mike Hudnail Gazette and Online Editor Tom Netsef Entertainment Editor Denny Atkin Senior Copy Editor Karen Huffman
Copy Editor Margaret Ramsey Editorial Assistant Polly Cilipam Contributing Editors Sylvia Graham, Tony Roberts, Karen Siepak
ART Assistant Art Director Kenneth A. Hardy Designer Katie Murdock Copy Production Manager Terry Cash
PRODUCTION
Production Manager De Potter
Traffic Manager Barbara A. Williams
PROGRAMMING AND ONLINE SERVICES Manager Tray Tucker Programmers Sherman Brown Steve Draper Bradley M. Smal.
ADMINISTRATION
President and COO
Executive Vice President,
Operations
Vice President
and Editorial Director
Operations Manager
Office Manager
Sr. Administrative Assistant
Receptionist
Kathy Keeton William Tynan
Keith Ferre!)
David Hensley Jr Sybil Agee Julia Fleming LeWanda Fox
ADVERTISING Vice President Peter T Johnsmeyor and Associate Publisher (212) 496-6100
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
Full -Page and Standard Display Ads; East Coast -Peter T Johns- meyeror Chris Coelho, COMPUTE Publications International, 1965 Broadway. New York, NY 10023; (212) -196-6100. Southeast- Harriet Rogers, 503 A St SE Wasnrr.gion, DC ZZZ 03, (202) 546- 5926. Florida -Jay M Remer Associates, 7040 W Palmetto Park Rd.. Sie 308 Bcca Raton FL 33433; (407) 391-0104. (4071 391- 5074 (fax). M.dwes' Starr Lane, 7 May wood Dr.. Danville. IL 6 1 832; (217) 443-4042. (217) 443-4043 (fax). Midwest Main Office— 111 E. Wacker Dr Sfo. 508, Chicago, IL 60601; (312) 819-0900, (312) 819-0813 (fax). Detroit Jim Chauv<n. 200 E Big Beaver Rd., Troy, Ml 48083; (313) 680-4610, (313) 524-2866 (fax). Northwest— Jerry Thompson (415-348-8???) or Lue ■ e Dennis (707-451-8209), Jules E. Thompson Co , 1290 Howard Ave., Ste 303, Buriingame. CA 94010 Southwest and West— Howard Berman. 67 28 Eton Ave Caroga Park CA 91303; (818j 992-4777 Prcduct Man Ads; Lu- cj g Dermis, Jules E. Thompson Co. 1290 Howard Ave Ste. 303. Bunngame, CA 9401H- (7071 451-8209. Classified Ads Mara Manasen, 1 Woods Cl.. Huntington. NY 11743; (516) 757-9562 (phone and fax). Sr VP/Corp. Dir., New Business Development; Bev- eriy Wardale VP/Ct , Group Advertis;ng Sales: Nancy Kestenbaum, 9709 Brimfeld Ct . Potomac, MD 20854; (301) 299-4677. (301) 299- 4649 (fax). Sr. VP/Southern and Midwestern Advertising Dr : Pe- ter Go!dsmith, P.O. Box 1535, Mason Neck, VA 22199-1535; (703) 339-1060, (703) 339-1063 (fax) Europe -Beverly Wardaie, Flat 2, 10 Stafford Texaco, Londc" England W87 BH; 011-4711-937- 1517. Japan— Jiro Semba. Intergroup Comm^ncai.ons. 3F T;ger Bldg., 5-22 Sniba-koen, 3-Chome Minato ku, Tokyo 105. Japan, 03-434-2607, J25469IGLTYO (telex), 434-5970 (lax). Korea: Kaya Advertising, Rm. 402 Kunshm Annex B/D 2b 1-1, Dohwa Dong, Mapo-Ku. Secu:, Korea (121); 719-6906, K32144Kayaad (telex).
THE CORPORATION
Bob Guccione, Chairman and CEO
Kathy Keeton. Vice Chairman and COO
William F. Marlieb, President (Marketing. Sales, and Circulation)
Patrick J. Gavin, Executive Vice President (Operations) and CFO
Richard Cohen, Executive Vice President and Treasurer
Frank DeVino, Executive Vice President and Graphics Director
Jim Martise, Executive Vice President (Circulation)
Hal Halpner, Vice President and Manufacturing Director
William Tynan, Vice President (Technology and Information
Services)
CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION
Sr. VP and CFO: Patrick J. Gavin; VP and Dm Sales Promotions: Beveriy Greiper; D.r., Ne.vssiand Cremation; Maureen Shai'key. Dir,, Newsstand Opera? ons Jr.? Gallo; Dir., Subscription Circulation: Bealrice J Hanks, VP and Dir., Research; Robert Patine1" Adver- tising Production Dir.: Charlene Smith; Traffic Dir. William Harbutt; VP, F'nanciai Operations: Jim Folio, VP, Budget and Finance. Tom Maley; Production Mgr .. Tom Stinson; Asst Production Mgr. Nan- cy Rice; Mgr., International Div George Rojas; VP. Retail Sales and Marketing: Gienn Srr':^ National Marketing D;r ■ Anne M Z'-nk; Ex- ec. Asst. to Bob Guccione. Diane O'Conne Spec. Asst. to Bob Guccione: Jane Homlish
EDITORIAL LICENSE
Clifton Karnes
've had it with rude, crude, and so- cially unattractive Windows pro- grams. You know the ones I'm talk- ing about. They install themselves all over your hard disk, polluting your WIN. INI with entries, filling your WIN- DOWS and SYSTEM directories with files, and sometimes even defiling your root directory. They're impossi- ble to move or delete, so I've decid- ed to complain.
What I'm going to do is give devel- opers six golden rules for Windows programs. It's worth mentioning that I'm looking at this problem from the point of view of both a user and a pro- grammer. And I have to tell you that I've sinned myself. As a programmer, I've broken most of these rules, but the end user inside has turned me around. I've seen the light, and I will sin no more. So here's the law, from one of the converted.
1. Don't place files in any directo- ry except your program's own direc- tory and subdirectories. This is by far the most important rule. Not only should all your files go in your pro- gram's directory and subdirectories, but all your INI files should go there as well and not'm the WINDOWS sub- directory. If you have several sepa- rate programs that will be installed in different subdirectories and that need to share DLLs, put them in a di- rectory you own, and mark the loca- tion with an environment variable so your other programs will know where to find them.
2. Don't add entries to WIN. INI. Use your own INI file, and place it in your program's directory.
3. Include explicit instructions for the user on how to uninstall your pro- gram manually. If you've followed rules 1 and 2, uninstalling will simply be a matter of deleting the program's directory and all its subdirectories.
4. If your application puts files in any directory other than its own (and following rules 1 and 2, it shouldn't), include an uninstall program.
5. If possible, keep hard-wired ref- erences to directories your program uses out of INI files. This may be dif- ficult, but if you follow all of the rules above plus this one, a user not only can delete a program easily but can move it to another disk by just drag-
ging the main directory.
6. Don't require that your pro- gram's executables be on the user's path. You may suggest this as a con- venience, however.
Those are the golden six, but until all developers see the light and start following these guidelines, we'll still have problems. So what are we sup- posed to do? Well, there are several commercial programs that help you re- move programs. Perhaps the most useful is Uninstaller 2 from MicroHelp. It looks at your system intelligently to determine which files a program is us- ing and then zaps them. This tool can be dangerous, however, so I recom- mend it only to experts.
Another option is the INI Tracker found in The Norton Utilities 8.0. This program makes snapshots of your sys-
tem files and your WINDOWS and SYSTEM directories, as well as any other directories you tell the program to watch. This is a very useful tool.
My favorite tools, however are two tried-and-true batch files I wrote short- ly after Windows 3.0 arrived on my hard disk, BEFORE.BAT and AF- TER.BAT. These programs make a snapshot of your system before and af- ter you do an install and then compare the two snapshots. I've published these before in COMPUTE, and I've re- cently updated both programs to make them faster. If you're interested, look for them in B&A.ZIP in COM- PUTE'S forum on America On- line— they're free. Whatever you do, you'll need at least one of these tools to do battle against all those inconsiderate Windows programs out there. □
COMPUTE JUNE 1994
7 'Hi:' l IRS I XTIRTHBRA'VUS
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GET TO KNOW YOUR LONG-LOST RELATIVES.
PREH1STORIA mm w IVindows/MPC
and Macintosh. Suggested retail price is $69.95.
It's More Than Just Dinosaurs!
Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals — including man's earliest relatives — are all part of Prehistoria, the amazing CD-ROM that spans 500 million years of prehistoric life. In all, Prehistoria puts you face-to-face with more than 500 of the most fascinating species ever to have inhabited the earth.
And Prehistoria brings these incredible creatures to life with such dazzling multi- media features as Knowledge Explorer" Audio- Visual Essays, narrated animations, videos, high-resolution maps, sound, life- like illustrations and text. And your path
to discovery is completely your own. Six graphical entry points give you total control.
From Compsognathus — full-grown dinosaurs no larger than chickens — to Platybelodon — the remarkable shovel-tusked mastodon — only Prehistoria unveils all the wonders of our distant past. It's the ultimate multimedia guide to prehistoric life!
PREHISTORIA
^ A Multimedia Who's Who ot Prehistoric Life
Grolier Electronic Publishing
Sherman Turnpike, Danbury, CT 06816 800-285-4534, 203-797-3530
WINDOWS WORKSHOP
Clifton Karnes
ADD A SECOND HARD DRIVE
Windows programs gobble up disk space like there's no to- morrow. Realtime compres- sion programs such as Stack- er and DoubleSpace help a lot, but sooner or later, you're going to run out of free mag- netic media. Then you'll have some tough decisions to make. If your computer and hard disk are both serviceable (at least a 386DX computer and a hard disk of 100MB), the best solution is probably to install a second hard disk.
|
==>) DoubleSpace Info |
|
|
Drive D is stored on uncompressed drive K in the file K:\DBLSPACE.Q00. |
Close | |
|
.. ........ |
|
|
'Compressed Drive D ^^^^^^^^ ■ Space used: 68.64 MB ^^ ^^ Compression ratio: 1.5 to 1 ■ Space free: 441.32 MB ^^B Z^^ Estimated compression ratio: 1.6 to 1 |
| tlelp J |
|
Total space: 509.97 MB |
|
|
| Show Details j |
Even after
installing a
number of
programs, I have
room to
spare on my new
DoubleSpaced
Western Digital
340MB drive.
If the idea of doing some- thing like this doesn't turn you into a quivering mass of Jell- 0, you're probably ready to dive into your computer. Be- fore you do, however, there are some things you should know about that I discovered when I added a second hard drive to my system.
First, I'm talking here about upgrading IDE drives. Chanc- es are that if you bought your system in the last two years, you have an IDE drive. For IDE drives, you can probably add a second drive pretty easily if you add a drive by the same company. If you add the same kind of drive you already have, the chances of encoun- tering problems are significant- ly reduced.
In my case, my system is a Gateway 2000 486DX2-66 that came with a 340MB Cavi- ar IDE drive from Western Dig- ital (714-932-4900). This drive
has given me excellent serv- ice in the last year, so decid- ing to add an identical drive was easy. It's also a good rep- resentative choice, because Western Digital invented the IDE interface, and the WD2340 has become an indus- try standard (Norton uses this drive in its benchmarks).
Now, on to the upgrading story. The first thing to do is check with your system maker to verify that you can add a sec- ond drive. If you can, decide on the drive, and you're ready to start gathering stuff and spending money. In addition to the drive, you'll need sever- al parts. If you buy a drive up- grade kit, these parts may come with it. If you simply buy a second drive, you'll have to find these parts somewhere. If your drive is smaller than the drive bay it fits into (which is the case with the WD2340), you'll need a metal bracket to hold the drive and from four to six screws to attach the drive to the bracket. You'll also need two plastic guide rails to attach to the drive bracket (or to the drive itself if it's large enough to fit into a drive bay), and you'll need four screws to attach the guide rails to the bracket (or drive). You'll also need two jumpers to configure the drives as master and slave. Your drive cable should have a connector for daisy- chaining a second drive, but if it doesn't, you'll need a new cable.
There are two sources to consider for these parts (brack- et, guide rails, screws, and jumpers). You might try your computer manufacturer. It may be able to supply these at little or no cost. Gateway, for example, agreed to send all of these parts to me and on- ly charged me for shipping ($9). However, it took three weeks for the package to reach me, and when it arrived, I only had one screw (instead
of ten) and one jumper (in- stead of two).
A local computer store is al- so a good bet. My local Comp- USA had all of this stuff avail- able for under $10.
After you have everything you need, you can hook up the drive. You'll need direc- tions for this because the drives must be connected on the data/control cable in a par- ticular order. Next, you need to place jumpers on each drive to identify it to the system correctly. Last, you have to plug in a power connector to the new drive. If you don't have a free one, you need to get a Y power plug.
After you install the hard- ware, you need to tell your PC about the new hard drive. To do this, you have to run your computer's setup program and configure the drive. If you're installing a drive that is identical to your first drive, you simply copy the informa- tion from the first drive to the second.
After setup is configured properly and your PC recogniz- es the new drive, you need to partition it and format it. (In the old days, before IDE, you had to low-level format the drive first.) To partition the drive, you run DOS Fdisk. The impor- tant thing to remember is that you want to create an extend- ed DOS partition using the en- tire new hard disk.
After Fdisk finishes, you need to format your new hard drive with the DOS Format com- mand, using the /u option. (You don't need to use the /s option, unless you're configur- ing your new drive to be your boot drive.) Next, if you're plan- ning to run Stacker or Dou- bleSpace on the new drive, do it now before you fill the drive up with programs.
That's all there is to it. If eve- rything goes smoothly, the in- stallation shouldn't take more than an hour. □
6 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
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Dept.C6
FEEDBACK
Edited by Robert Bixby
Adding a CLOSE,
assigning a
drive, wishing for
better software,
finding more
'Feedback,'9 avoiding
young pirates,
and making a case
for caddies
Correction
The scheduling program pub- lished in the April 1994 "Feedback" will fail without the following modification. You must insert a line be- tween the 14th and 15th lines. This line must contain on- ly the command CLOSE. Here is what the 13th through the 19th lines of the program should look like.
SHELL "date > junk.!!!
<return.!M" OPEN "junk.!!!" FOR
INPUT AS #1 LINE INPUT #1, a$ CLOSE
SHELL "del junk.!!!" SHELL "del return.!!!" FOR i = 1 TO 19 STEP 3
ROBERT BIXBY GREENSBORO, NC
Switching Drives
I have some old software on 51/4-inch floppies that has to run from the A drive. My new computer has a 31/2-inch drive as the A drive. Is there a way to switch the A and B drives to fool my old software?
ROBERT DELPIZZO FLANDERS, NJ
The Assign command might work. To fool your computer in- to thinking your B drive is your A drive, type assign a b at the DOS prompt. This will assign the A drive designation to your B drive (the B drive will re- spond as either A or B). To do a complete flip-flop, type as- sign b a. Your A drive will re- spond as drive B, and your B drive will respond as drive A. To get things back to normal, just type assign.
Wish List
Here's what I would like to see: a typing tutor for children, a word processor for children, ar- ticles that combine a BASIC type-in program and some elec- trical construction using ICs, and, finally, interesting things I
can do with my computer that require the application of my in- telligence rather than the con- tents of my pocketbook.
HENRY H. FALES ORLEANS, MA
Many software publishers are recognizing the special need for children's word proces- sors (watch the review pag- es). It doesn't involve ICs (ex- cept for the ones already built into your computer), but here's a simple typing tutor that requires only the cost of this magazine and a bit of typ- ing. When run, this program prompts you for a script file — the file containing the text that you'll type. You'll have to prepare the script yourself.
This file must be a simple ASCII file with a carriage re- turn at the end of each line (and each line must be under 80 characters in length). The program will read the file line by line and display the text that you should type. If you make a mistake, the program will beep. When you reach the end of a line, a new line will be displayed. If you get tired of typing, press Esc to end the program. If you quit the program or if you reach the end of the script, the pro- gram will display your typing speed in words per minute and the number of errors you've made. Then it will show you your statistics for all previous sessions with the pro- gram and give you the option of seeing a bar graph display- ing your speed and errors over the past 16 sessions.
Periodically you might want to delete the HIGHSCOR file be- cause it could become extreme- ly large, and watching your scores from hundreds of past sessions scroll by could be- come tedious, (in this listing, as in all program listings in COMPUTE, an indented line is a continuation of the preced- ing line.)
RANDOMIZE TIMER
DIM eror(255)
eror = 0: counter = 0: counter2 = 1
CLS
LOCATE 23, 1: PRINT "Press Esc
to quit."
INPUT "Name of file to type"; a$ CLS
OPEN a$ FOR INPUT AS #1 begin = TIMER WHILE NOT E0F(1) LINE INPUT #1, line$ LOCATE counted, 1: PRINT line$ FOR i = 1 TO LEN(line$) letter$ = MID$(line$, i, 1) counter = counter + 1 waitloop: in$ = INKEY$ IF in$ = CHR$(27) THEN GOTO
score
IF in$ = ""THEN GOTO waitloop IF in$ <> letter$ THEN eror = eror + 1 eror(ASC(letter$)) =
eror(ASC(letter$)) + 1 BEEP
GOTO waitloop END IF LOCATE counter2 + 1,1: PRINT
in$; NEXT counter2 = counter2 + 2: IF
counter2 > 20 THEN counter2 = 1:
CLS WEND score: CLOSE CLS
sec = INT(TIMER - begin) wpm$ = STR$(INT((counter / 5.5) /
(sec/ 60))) wpm$ = RIGHT$(wpm$,
LEN(wpm$)-1) wpm$ = RIGHT$("000" + wpm$,
3)
PRINT "You typed"; counter PRINT "letters in "; sec;
" seconds" PRINT "for an effective typing
speed of" PRINT wpm$; " word(s) per
minute."
PRINT "with"; eror; "error(s)." OPEN "highscor" FOR APPEND AS
#1 PRINT #1, wpm$; " wpm with ";
STR$(eror); " errors." CLOSE SHELL "pause"
8 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
With2Million
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Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing!'1 Is The World's Best Seller!
Take lessons from the world's best typing teacher and have some fun while you learn!
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Mavis Beacon Teaches I ; \ Typing! has built-in
I artificial intelligence that makes it easy for anyone of any age to learn to type. Lessons are automatically customized for each individual's abilities and needs. And Mavis makes typing lessons fun by using famous quotes, riddles, jokes and even
Copyright (<- 1993 The Software Toolworks, Inc. All rights reserved.
Version 3 For Windows!
256 Colors
Fun, Easy & Makes
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hundreds of fascinating facts from The Guinness Book of World Records.
help you type better and be more productive. More than 2 million users are already better typists and big fans of Mavis. Look for Mavis at
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"Guide hands" type with you to demonstrate perfect technique
Mavis is the best. But, don't take our word for it. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing! won the 1992 Reader's Choice Award from Compute! Magazine, the 1993 Reader's Choice Award from Multimedia Magazine, and many more.
Circle Reader Service Number 245
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All products and brands
computer stores everywhere.
Mavis Beacon
II \< Ill-STVPIN-r. !
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Available for MS-DOS,
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For the dealer nearest you or to order, call toll-free
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are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
You had to walk through three feet of snow just to get to school. They get there on Rollerblade skates. You had an AM radio. They have boom boxes. .And now there's this thingr called edu-tainment. Hi^h technology that makes learning involving, fun and exciting. What a concept. B^^_ Introducing the Presario Multimedia PCs from Compaq. Powerful computers equipped with CD-ROM
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. 1994 Compj<| Computer Coi-jk .ration. All Rights R-M-rwtl. Compaq Ki-«iMt-rv.l ll.S P.-u.-nt ov\ Tr.wk-niart Ollitv. I '.-.sarin ,s .-» u-.idc.ni, irk ul Ct.mp.ii] Computer Coi-pnr.nion Roll. ;UU\v is .t rcgiMvml trademark nf Rollcrblack-, wera% a one-yMrvwrMty Forded I -800-3+5-1 Sis, U.S.; 1-800-567 1616,
be up and running right away. And they're hacked hy a three-year warranty' along with a 24-hour, scven-day-a-week support hotline to answer any of your computing questions. And with litcrallv thousands and thousands of CD-ROM titles currently available (and a bunch more coming every day), vou can do just about anything. From recreating a space shuttle launch to baking vour favorite cake with Better Homes and Gardens to leafing through an entire set of encyclopedias stored on one six-inch compact disc complete with audio and video. As a matter of fact, once vou have vour Presario Multimedia PC at home,
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there 11 probably onlv be one thing standing between vou and a whole new world. Your kid.
Circle Reader Service Number 209
ine. Better Homo and Gardens is a trad.nwk of Meredith Corporation, Intel Inside |. Canada)
isuved trademark of tlie Intel corporal nm. •Certain restrictions and exekiMons apply. Monitors, Katlen p.i
ks and eertai:
n opt*
FEEDBACK
|
SHELL "type highscorlmore" |
CLOSE |
39, 479 - (scor * 2)), 0, B |
|
FOR i = 32 TO 255 |
IF counter > 16 THEN schlubfactor |
COLOR 7: LOCATE ((479 - (scor * |
|
IF eror(i) > 2 THEN |
= (counter - 16) |
2))/ 17), 1 + counter3/8: PRINT |
|
IFmessage$ = ""THEN |
interval = 16 : counter3 = 0 |
scor |
|
message$ = "You seem to have |
OPEN "highscor" FOR INPUT AS |
COLOR 4: LOCATE ((479 - (scor * |
|
trouble with the following |
#1 |
2))/17)-1, 1 +counter3/8: |
|
letter(s):": PRINT message$ |
IF schlubfactor THEN |
PRINT eror |
|
PRINT CHR$(i) + u "; |
FOR i = 1 TO schlubfactor |
counter3 = counter3 + 40 |
|
END IF |
LINE INPUT #1, a$ |
WEND |
|
NEXT |
NEXT |
COLOR 7: LOCATE 1,1: PRINT |
|
|
END IF |
"Press any key to end program." |
|
PRINT "Type P for a graph of your |
WHILE NOT EOF(1) |
finalloop: |
|
progress." |
LINE INPUT #1,a$ |
a$ = INKEY$ |
|
endloop: |
scor = VAL(MID$(a$, 1, 4)) |
IF a$ = "" THEN GOTO finalloop |
|
in$ = INKEY$ |
eror = VAL(MID$(a$, 13, 4)) |
END |
|
IF in$ = " " THEN GOTO endloop |
ccolor = ccolor + 1: IF ccolor > 15 |
|
|
IF LCASE$(in$) <> "p" THEN END |
THEN ccolor = 1 |
More Than Meets the Eye |
|
CLS : SCREEN 12: counter = 0 |
LINE (counter^, 479)-(counter3 + |
Readers: There's more to COMPUTE |
|
OPEN "highscor" FOR INPUT AS |
39, 479 - (scor * 2)), ccolor, BF |
than what you're holding in your |
|
#1 |
LINE (counted + 10, 479)-( |
hands. Each month, we have an addi- |
|
WHILE NOT EOF(1) |
counter3 + 30, 479 - eror), 4, BF |
tional "Feedback" program, a business |
|
LINE INPUT #1, a$ |
LINE (counter3 + 10, 479)-( |
productivity column, and sometimes |
|
counter = counter + 1 |
counter3 + 30, 479 - eror), 14, B |
even a whole extra feature in the COM- |
|
WEND |
LINE (counter3, 479)-(counter3 + |
PUTE area on America Online. If you're |
What Do PC Jet' Jockeys Want?
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Circle Reader Service Number 142
10150 S.W. NimbusAve. Suite E-7
i
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RCS™ (Rudder Pedals)
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Circle Reader Service Number 111 © 1993 MicroProse. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, For IBM-PC/Compatibles.
j#ftr Ti —
Interactive Language Learning New From
— Berlitz
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The language learning leader for over a century.
FEEDBACK
on America Online, press Ctrl-K and type compute into the dialog box that appears. Then click on OK. It will take you to our area, which contains all of the material from the magazine— and a whole lot more.
ROBERT BIXBY GREENSBORO. NC
The Naked CD
Aren't all CD-ROMs manufactured the same, and isn't the digital technology used to play the CD-ROMs universal? Then why can't all CD-ROMs be played on the Imagination Machine, Panasonic's R*E*A*L, the Sega Gene- sis, the PC, the Mac, and so on?
DAVID LEDFORD GASTONIA. NC
All CD-ROMs (and music CDs, too) are manufactured the same way. They all have the same capacity they all spin the same way, and they're all read from the center to the periphery But the information contained on the CD is very different. A series of bytes de- signed to display an image on a PC screen would be pure garbage to a Se- ga Genesis or a Nintendo CD-ROM sys-
tem. The individual computer com- mands—opcodes and operands — vary considerably from one CPU to the next. File structures might also vary so not only could one system make no sense or the data on the disc designed for a different system, but it might also be unable to find it.
Student Pirates
I'm an assistant professor of English lit- erature at Eastern Mediterranean Uni- versity in North Cyprus. I recently wrote a Turbo Basic program that teaches stu- dents figures of speech used in English poetry. My students use the program un- der my supervision and like it very much. The snag is that people here have no consideration for copyright, and if I let just one disk of my program out of my sight for a few minutes, then my program will be like a rumor traveling through the island from one student to another. Is there a way to stop users from copying the software from the flop- py to the hard disk or to another floppy?
WISAM MANSOLR FAMAGUSTA, NORTH CYPRUS
What a beautiful phrase— "like a rumor traveling through the island from one student to another." You must be a great teacher. Unfortunately there are
few practical ways to prevent someone from copying a program, and they all disproportionately inconvenience the le- gitimate user and are virtually ignored by pirates (or gossips, if you prefer). Here are some methods that have been used.
You could supply with the program disk a difficult-to-copy sheet of codes in, say, silver ink on white paper. Then make the program demand a random code that can only be obtained from the sheet and fail to run unless the cor- rect code is entered.
Using a dongle is another solution. Give the program away and let people copy it at will, but include code that re- quires some electronic device plugged into the parallel port— a dongle (named for Don Gull, a programmer who was in a situation much like yours) — and limit the availability of the dongles.
You could personalize each pro- gram you hand out, having it request from the user a list of very personal piec- es of information — mother's maiden name, name of family pet, telephone number of a friend, and so forth — that would only be known by the person who should be using the program. Then, whenever the program runs, it will operate property only if the right information is entered during a prelim- inary interrogation.
All of these systems (except the don- gle) are very easily defeated, unfortu- nately. If anyone reading this has addi- tional suggestions, please send them to us at COMPUTE, and welt forward them to Dr. Mansour
Caddy Lack
A review in the January 1994 COM- PUTE states that it's an advantage for a CD-ROM drive not to require a cad- dy. This makes me (and maybe all ed- ucators) nervous. The CD-ROM caddy is a requirement around students. The $5 or so that a caddy costs is money well spent because it prevents the disc from being damaged. I always try to buy CD-ROM drives that require a caddy.
DON ME INK CROFTON, NE
Do you have a question about hard- ware or software? Have you discov- ered something that could help other PC users? If so, we want to hear from you. Write to "Feedback" in care of this magazine. Readers whose tetters appear in "Feedback" wilt receive a free COMPUTE baseball cap white sup- plies last. We regret that we cannot provide personal replies to technical questions. O
14
COMPUTE JUNE 1994
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertising Feature - Reproduced and color separated using PagePlus 2.0
Pick a Publishing Powerhouse
Windows Magazine - America's Best Selling Windows Publication
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Price: $59.95 (SuperPack, $99.95)
In Brief: The low-price PagePlus provides several high-end features, such as process- color separations and a table editor.
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Tel: (800) 697-3743 Fax; (800) 869-8909
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If all the packages reviewed here, PagePlus is the best bargain. It provides about 80% of the functionality of high priced programs for less than 10% of the cost. PagePlus is the only low-cost product mat supports process-color separations, and it has other useful features that make it an enticing alternative to the high-end applications In this review, which can be more expensive and difficult to learn.
PagePlus1 ability to perfonn process-color separations is its most noteworthy feature. It has all the prepress functionality you need, except for traps and spreads. You can compensate for ink build-up, as well as make dot gain corrections. In my tests, PagePlus' color separations were as good as those printed by high-end programs, and even letter than Ventura's.
PagePlus offers a powerful table editor, text frames that easily link and jump text, and a ChangeBar that lets you assign line weights, colors and many other attributes with a few mouse clicks. You can move the rulers into your editing area, so you can quickly measure and resize objects.
The S59-95 price tag is simply incredible. And, for another S40 you get the PagePlus SuperPack, which includes over 100 TrueType fonts and several hundred clip-art images. Several useful manuals cover the basics of desktop publishing, including some excellent design tips; a vast improvement over last year's documentation.
There's little you can't do with PagePlus. The one major drawback is a lack of automatic page numbering; When you add or delete pages, you must go back and renumber pages by hand.
PagePlus is a great program for small or mid-size businesses that need a powerful shon-document DTP package.
William Harrel is a freelance writer and desktop publisher based in Weaverville, Calif. Reach him on WIX as wharrel.
Paste Ctrl+V
Paste Special...
Insert Object...
Edit Text... CtrltT Character Map
Arrange
Select All CtrltA
Award Winning Deskto
|
-MSEZ5M |
|
|
|k Ml |A |
|
|
!I_ |
o\o\m |
|
& |
okm |
y^uai. ~|™TT~j . t*» Piihlahaj Hr.l* ^^* —"»"■--■>■—
aoo-ew-3M3 8oo-869-8Bog jsE=;;=j
|"iBi-ck] L*iG3
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'M«mHIB
S33hED
assa
PagePlus lets you perform almost any short-document layout task you can think of, easily and inexpensively.
REPORT CARP
I
Recommendations... _°
|
!_ |
. |
to |
-*2 |
||||||||
|
o o |
o o |
o o *— * |
o o |
CO |
F |
en *— * |
|||||
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o |
o \jr\ |
"5 |
<— * |
*—* o |
|||||||
|
t |
en |
is |
CJ» |
■cz |
O |
arc |
o |
||||
|
o |
«— * |
*— * |
o |
*— * |
«_ * |
o |
c= |
||||
|
zS |
o |
o. |
o |
^S- |
o |
O . |
o |
IS |
O |
o |
o |
|
Easy Wbrking Desktop Publisher |
B |
B |
C |
C |
D |
D |
|
Express Publisher |
B |
C |
C |
C |
D |
D |
|
FromeMaker |
B |
B |
B |
B |
D |
D |
|
PageMaker 5.0 @ |
A |
A |
A |
A |
A |
A |
|
PagePlus 2.0 @ |
A |
B |
A |
B |
A |
B |
|
PFS: Publisher |
B |
B |
C |
C |
D |
D |
|
Publish It! (TimeWorks) |
C |
C |
C |
C |
D |
D |
|
QuarkXPress |
A |
C |
A |
C |
A |
B |
|
Ventura Publisher |
B |
A |
B |
A |
C |
B |
Quark Xpress handles process color better than any other | program we tested and Ventura Publisher works best for long documents. Neither is a DTP program for all seasons, though. Because it has something for everybody, we've rated PageMaker as the best overall program. It's easy to use, yet provides process color separations and long-document options such as indices and table of contents. PageMaker lets you scan images directly into your layouts. You can place and
manipulate graphics easily, and the stylesheet options are strong. It also has excellent cross-platform compatibility with the Macintosh version of PageMaker.
Serif's PagePlus is another strong application. It's also a terrific bargain. If you're doing short document publishing, PagePlus provides everything you need and more. It's easy to use and has a wealth of options. The lack of automatic page numbering and a few other long-document features leave it less powerful than PageMaker, but at less than 10% of the price, who's quibbling?
Copyright© 1993 by CMP Publications, Inc., 600 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY 1 1030. Reprinted from Windows Magazine 9/93 with permission.
Circle Reader Service Number 120
INTRODOS
Tony Roberts
An up-to-date
system
is a quicker,
friendlier,
more efficient
system.
MEMORY THIEVES RUN UNDETECTED
Have you ever looked into your refrigerator and found something old and unrecogniz- able tucked into the back of the vegetable crisper? Did you hold your nose and won- der how something so ancient and useless had been al- lowed to sit there for so long?
Recently, my friend Steve called, saying he was having trouble getting his system set up with DOS 6.2. I had him fax me his configuration files, and what I saw was as horrifying as lettuce that had turned from a crisp, green head to a gooey, brown puddle.
Steve's main concern was that he wasn't getting all of the free memory he thought he should with DOS 6.2. He had tried running MemMaker, and that had helped some, but there still wasn't enough mem- ory to run the programs he wanted.
Steve had upgraded DOS as new versions came along, but he had done so blindly. He hadn't removed the outdat- ed relics of the old versions as he upgraded to the new soft- ware. He was still using the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEX- EC.BAT files he had set up years ago, and he was wast- ing memory as a result.
The first memory drain was found in the CONFIG.SYS file, which included the statement LASTDRIVE=Z. The LAST- DRIVE command allows you to specify how many disk drive names you will be using. The DOS default is five, for drives A-E. Each disk drive name uses about 100 bytes of memory. Steve's LASTDRIVE command indicated that he wanted to use 26 drive names, A-Z. In practice, how- ever, drive F is the last drive used on his system. By chang- ing LASTDRIVE=Z to LAST-
DRIVER he was able to recov- er 2000 bytes of memory.
The big memory gobblers were found in the AUTOEX- EC.BAT file, however.
First, Steve was using the Append command at a cost of 9K. This DOS dinosaur was in- troduced back in the DOS 2.x era. At that time, hard drives were just being introduced, and the subdirectory system was developed to help users keep track of all the files on those huge 10MB wonders. Software written for earlier ver- sions of DOS didn't know how to deal with subdirectories. Such software assumed the current subdirectory was the only directory in town.
The Append command was a smoke-and-mirrors trick to al- low the old software to see past its blind spot and find files that resided in other sub- directories. Of course, all mod- ern software is equipped to handle subdirectories, so who needs Append?
Another useless bit of soft- ware clogging up Steve's sys- tem was Graftabl. This pro- gram, which occupied 14K, was designed to allow PCs with CGA adapters to display additional characters while in graphics mode. Steve junked his CGA adapter and monitor years ago. He should have stopped running Graftabl at the same time.
Finally, Steve's AUTOEX- EC.BAT file was loading the DOS Print utility, unnecessar- ily bottling up more memory. Back in the early 1980s, there were times when printing from DOS was handy or even nec- essary, but today, most folks find that printing directly from their application software is the way to go.
Altogether, Steve was load- ing about 30K in unused, un- necessary software. Once he cleaned out the prehistoric ar- tifacts, he had plenty of room to run the software he wanted.
Steve had arrived at this quan- dary because he was afraid to make any changes in his con- figuration files, fearing that he'd ruin something. After all, things seemed to be working.
I've never been a believer in the "leave well enough alone" philosophy. It's good practice to take an occasional look at your initialization files to see whether there's any fat that can be trimmed from them. If you don't know a CON- FIG.SYS from an AUTOEX- EC.BAT, find a spouse, friend, or coworker who does.
If you want to experiment on your own, grab a DOS man- ual and look up some of the suspect commands to find out what they do. (First, make an emergency boot disk contain- ing your existing AUTOEX- EC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.) Once you identify a pos- sible memory gobbler, use the REM command to make tem- porary changes that can be un- done easily if necessary. When DOS finds the com- mand REM (this is short for re- mark) at the beginning of a line, it ignores the rest of the line. If the system behaves strangely, you can remove the REM, and things will return to normal. On the other hand, if performance stays the same or improves, it's a good bet that the command was super- fluous and can be deleted.
DOS commands aren't the only programs that cause prob- lems. Over the years you may have added several terminate- and-stay-resident (TSR) utili- ties to your system. These pro- grams, which stay in the back- ground waiting for you to acti- vate them with a special key combination, can perform a va- riety of chores. But once you stop using these programs, re- move references to them from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or they'll continue to load and oc- cupy memory that could be used elsewhere. □
16 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
Windows DTP Price Breakthrough.
This ad was created with PagePlus! ^
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"PagePlus 2.0 has put itself in the league with the big-time players'1 said BYTE - tremendous power combined with superb ease of use. Check out this ad - designed and produced using PagePlus 2.0 with full color separated output. Get PagePlus and we'll show you how YOU can easily produce beautiful full color pages every bit as good as this one, right on your own computer. NEW! Professional Print Quality with both spot- and process-color separations, and great results from your own dot-matrix, ink jet or laser printer. NEW! Text Frames with unique column blinds give you the ultimate in text flow control. NEW! Styles and Templates with Auto Apply for great looking pages in a hurry.
|
w |
7 REPORT CARD |
|||||
|
Recommendations... Windows Magazine W3 "Pick a Publishing Pouahousi:" by William Hand. |
Short one-dor documents Long one-color documents |
Short spot-color documents Long spot-color documents |
ilii ilii |
|||
|
Eosy Working Desktop Publisher |
B |
B |
C |
C |
D D |
|
|
Express Publisher |
B |
C |
C |
C |
D D |
|
|
Fro Poj Po! |
meMaker |
B |
B |
B |
B |
D D |
|
eMoker 5.0 © |
A |
A |
A |
A B C C C |
A A |
|
|
ePlus 2.0 @ |
A |
B |
A C C A |
A B |
||
|
PFS: Publisher |
B |
B |
D D |
|||
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Qu Ven |
lish II! (Moth) irkKPress |
C A |
C C |
D D A B |
||
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two Publisher |
B |
A |
B |
A |
C B |
Copyrign: 1W3 by CMP "- Lr:^i::i>. I-;, Ri"i- «j :'u [xht ^-i.
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TEST LAB
PENTIUM PCs: THE FIRST GENERATION
Edited by Mike Hudnall Reviews by William Harrel
YFour computer isn't fast enough, you say? Before you buy a 486, check out one of these next-generation speed demons. Intel's promise of lightning- fast Pentium power has finally ma- terialized. These seven workhorses are the fastest computers ever to ap- pear in Test Lab. Granted, you'll pay about twice as much for one of these babies as for an equally equipped 486-66, but if you need to push Windows, OS/2, or another graphical user interface to the limit, you certainly get what you pay for: Pure processing power! Massive stor- age! Extensive expansion options!
OK, So Just What Is a Pentium?
A Pentium processor is, by all rights, nothing more than a 586. In- tel changed the name because words, unlike numbers, can be trademarked. Hence, if and when another company comes up with comparable technology, that tech- nology can't be called Pentium.
And what a next step it is! This is by far the most complex PC microprocessor to date. It has more than twice as many transis- tors as the 486DX2 and a wide (64-bit, as compared to the 486's 32-bit) data path. What this means to you is about a 75-per- cent performance boost. Howev- er, utilizing all this power requires some unique system board con- figurations. In other words, the boards and their various compo- nents must be manufactured prop- erly. To get the most from the Pen- tium chip, your computer must have strong hard drive and video subsystems. Pentium systems al- so perform better with an external processor cache. Think of an external cache as a fast memory chip area where data waits to be processed. This is somewhat tech- nical, but experts agree that Penti- ums run significantly better with caches of at least 256K.
As you will see, correctly con- figured Pentiums are hot ma- chines, and they are not as expen-
18 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
sive as the first releases of 486s, which ran well over $5,000. You can find a well-equipped Pentium for under $3,500, and prices are bound to drop with increased com- petition. By this time next year you can expect 486s to replace 386s as entry-level computers, as Pen- tiums move into the mainstream.
Review Criteria
As you read this, literally hun- dreds of Pentium configurations are becoming available. The fol- lowing configuration is what COM- PUTE'S editors consider the mini- mum configuration for a Pentium system.
If you shell out the money for a computer this powerful, it should have enough memory for Windows to spread out in, and it
"Pure
Processing Power!
Massive storage!
Extensive expansion
options!"
should anticipate future memory- hogging applications (such as Windows 4.0). The first require- ment for participation in this round- up is that the system come with 16MB of system RAM. In addition to memory, you'll also need plen- ty of hard drive space. Hence, ven- dors were asked to supply sys- tems with at least 350MB hard drives, and they easily com- plied—each of these machines comes with at least 450MB of hard drive storage.
If you run graphics applica- tions under Windows, you already know how slowly some of them display on your monitor. The sluggishness is due primari- ly to a bottleneck where the graph- ics adapter meets the mother-
board bus, which until recently had a 16-bit path. Recent local- bus technology widens the path to 64 bits. There are two types of local bus, VESA (Video Electron- ics Standards Association) and PCI (Peripheral Component Inter- connect). PCI is the newer type, and once it's perfected, it's expect- ed to be superior. All of the machines examined here have PCI local bus.
Vendors were also asked to supply a 256K external cache. Remember that a cache is a bank of ultrafast memory chips that catch and hold data in antic- ipation that the CPU will soon need it. Having this data waiting in the wings significantly enhances performance. Each of the vendors supplied a 256K cache. Most of the systems here allow you to increase the cache size to 512K and beyond. A larger cache should enhance the performance of each of these systems.
Finally, if you spring for a sys- tem with lightning-fast graphics, you'll want a good monitor, so this roundup required vendors to equip their systems with high- resolution, 15-inch monitors. All complied. In fact, two compa- nies, Gateway and MidWest Mi- cro, went the extra mile (well, 2 inches anyway) and sent 17-inch displays. The larger monitors make text easier to read at high resolutions, but overall, the quali- ty of the display subsystems that ship with all these systems is impressive — crisp and clear with great colors.
Speed Thrills
The first thing power users want to know about a group of comput- ers is which one is fastest. How- ever, to most people, a bench- mark point here or there is a moot point. As long as the machine has sufficient power and isn't sig- nificantly slow for its class, a num- ber of other issues are more important, such as expandability and what you get for your mon- ey. To evaluate these issues, I
opened the machines and exam- ined the motherboards to find out how easily you can install drives and expansion cards. I found out which graphics card each manu- facturer uses and how much RAM is on it, whether you have to purchase more video memory to get the most from the display sys- tem, how big the hard drive is, and so forth.
This is not to say that speed isn't important. And I checked it— thoroughly. I ran the industry-stan- dard SYSmark93 for Windows benchmark tests developed by Business Applications Perform- ance Corporation (BAPCo). The BAPCo SYSmarks are real- world tests based on stan- dard Windows applications that many people use, such as Word for Windows, Ex- cel, Lotus 1-2-3, and Page- Maker. BAPCo tests sys- tems in six different applica- tion categories: word proc- essing, spreadsheet, data- base, desktop graphics, desktop presentation, and desktop publishing. Results are charted in each catego- ry, and an average SYS- mark score is calculated. For the results of the BAPCo tests and further explanation of how they work, see the methodology sidebar, "Explaining the Num- bers," and the accompanying graphs.
Configuration
When you're buying a new sys- tem, it's important to check out the configuration. In other words, how big is the hard drive? Does it come with a CD-ROM drive? A sound card? You can save a lot of money by not paying retail for these options later. It's also impor- tant that the equipment installed fits your application. If you buy a system with a graphics card that does not support the number of colors and resolution you need, you'll have to buy another graph- ics card.
Should your new Pentium be housed in a desktop case or a tow- er? The answer depends on where you'll put it and what your expansion needs are. Usually, a tower resides under the desk, and a desktop system sits on top of it. More important, towers pro- vide more expansion options. The Dell desktop system, for ex- ample, has only three accessible drive bays and two internal ones. Two of the accessible bays are already taken by the CD-ROM drive and the combo (two in one bay) floppy drives. You can install only one more accessible drive (re- movable hard, tape backup, and
so forth). Of the two internal drive bays, one is already used by the hard drive. You can install only one more hard drive in the Dell system.
Granted, most people need only one hard drive. But you nev- er know where your computing might take you. If you plan to use your new Pentium as a network server or as a graphics- or video- editing station, you can't get enough hard drive space. You need as many drive bays as you can get. You should look at one of the tower configurations, such as the Insight machine, which has five accessible and eight internal bays.
Also important are the types of accessible drives installed in
your system. Each of these com- puters comes with a double- speed CD-ROM drive (twice as fast as the original technology). As programs get larger, CD- ROMs will be used more and more to distribute software. And they are essential to multimedia applications. All but the Dell and MidWest Micro systems come with only one floppy drive, a 31/2- inch 1.44MB. Apparently, there's an ongoing trend to phase out the slower, smaller (in storage capacity), and less dependable 5V4-inch floppies. If you've been computing for a while, you prob- ably have data on the older Sc- inch 1.2MB disks. The ad- ditional drive would cost about $100.
Hard drive access speed also affects how fast your computer runs. All these systems come equipped with built-in IDE hard drive controllers on the motherboards, and most of the systems in the roundup use them. However, two com- panies, Micron and Insight, included PCI controllers. Sim- ilar to processor caches, caching controllers hold da- ta in anticipation that the processor will soon call for it. Depending on the size of the cache, this cuts down considerably on hard drive ac- cess. Since the hard drive is the most frequent bottleneck in a com- puter, the less it's accessed, the bet- ter. As you'll see from the follow- ing reviews and test results, hard drive controllers can increase the speed of your computer, depend- ing primarily on what kinds of ap- plications you run. However, in most cases, the motherboard-con- trolled hard drives perform fine.
If you plan to run games or mul- timedia applications (such as mul- timedia encyclopedias) on your system, you'll need a sound card. Two of the vendors, Dell and Gateway, included sound cards for the price listed in the fea- tures table, and Gateway even
JUNE 1994 COMPUTE
19
TEST LAB
sent along a couple of Labtec CS- 180 speakers. With the ZEOS sys- tem, you might not need to buy a sound card. It comes equipped with on-board business audio, which allows you to record and play sound — as long as you have a microphone and speak- ers. The sound quality isn't as good as that of the industry-stan- dard 16-bit sound cards, but it's fine for most desktop and busi- ness applications.
Built-in Options
In addition to peripherals, you should also look at built-in expan- sion options, such as the number of drive bays, the number of expansion slots, the maximum memory size, and so on. Mostly, these systems are equally equipped: three 64-bit PCI slots and five ISA, or 16-bit, slots (the MidWest Micro has only four ISA slots). The main difference is how the machines use them. Each ma- chine reviewed here uses a PCI slot for the graphics adapter and one ISA slot for the CD-ROM drive controller. The Insight and Micron machines use an addition- al PCI slot for the hard drive con- troller, and the Gateway and Dell computers give up an ISA slot for a sound board. Additionally, all of these systems support RAM con- figurations up to 128MB.
Other than drive bay options, on- ly the ZEOS system has notably dif- ferent built-in options. In addition to the on-board business audio dis- cussed above, the ZEOS also has an on-board SCSI option. SCSI is a peripheral interface that excels at high-speed data exchanges and works well for large hard drives (1GB and above) and high- capacity tape backup drives. With the SCSI option built in, you don't have to use an expansion slot, leav- ing the slot for other options. The ZEOS supports SCSI-2, the latest SCSI technology.
Before You Buy
All of the computers in this Test Lab roundup are fine machines.
20
COMPUTE JUNE 1994
Austin Power System 60
Direct price: $3,799
Warranty: two years, parts and labor (first year with on-site service); extended warranties available; units sent in for repair returned to customer within 48 hours of arrival at Austin's repair facility
Pros: best speed, SCSI card, reasonable price, space- saving desktop design
Cons: caddy required for CD-ROM drive, limited expansion options
AUSTIN DIRECT 10300 Metric Dlvd. Austin, TX 7S758 (800)752-1577
With that in mind, you might have a tendency to select the more glamorous, faster machines. In reality, unless your application tax- es a system to its limits (say, desk- top publishing or serving a net- work), you wouldn't notice any performance difference between the fastest and slowest of these Pentiums. Unless you really need the fastest computer, look in- stead at what you get for your mon- ey. How big is the hard drive? Will you have to purchase addi- tional memory for the video card? How big is the monitor? Do you need sound? How good is the warranty?
Barring any unforeseen durabil- ity problems, you can't go wrong with any of these computers. The real issue is that you get every- thing you need for the right price.
WILLIAM HARREL
AUSTIN POWER SYSTEM 60
Need a fast computer? Austin's Pow- er System 60 is the one to buy. This desktop dynamo performed best overall on the BAPCo tests, do- ing exceptionally well on the desk- top graphics benchmarks. In fact,
this machine's speed, small foot- print, durable construction, andover- all performance leave little to be desired. It even comes with a SCSI card (the Toshiba CD-ROM drive is a SCSI device), which means it has the ability to chain as many as seven high-capacity drives, such as Bernoulli removable, tape back- up, and optical drives. However, its compact desktop design means that most of your drive expansions must be external.
The graphics speed probably comes from the Diamond Stealth 32 PCI adapter. The Power Sys- tem 60 is the only computer here with this adapter Austin loaded the graphics card with 2MB of DRAM, the maximum configura- tion. The graphics and text dis- play not only with crystal clarity but with blazing speed as well.
While this is a great computer, it's not perfect. The case's small design squeezes the compo- nents together, making access to them difficult. For example, the hard drive bays are located un- der the power supply, which makes getting to them a chore. Granted, you don't change or in- stall hard drives often, but by the looks of this configuration, you might have to turn to a techni- cian. Another drawback is that the memory banks are beneath the accessible drive bays, mean- ing that installing memory isn't as easy as it should be, either.
I wish that the Toshiba CD- ROM drive did not require a cad-
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dy (case). While this provides a little added protection for the CDs themselves, it's a nuisance hav- ing to fool with the caddy each time you change a disc. And fi- nally, the Austin documentation is somewhat sparse. If you like to install options in your computer yourself rather than take it to a professional, you won't find much help in the manuals. But then again, this computer isn't really designed for easy expansion.
These are, of course, small com- plaints. Most people don't change their system configura- tions often. Otherwise, the Power System 60 is an exceptional val- ue. It comes with a two-year parts warranty and a one-year on- site warranty. Technical support is free for as long as you have the machine. I called Austin tech sup- port and got right through. The tech- nician was both courteous and knowledgeable.
This is the computer of choice for speed-hungry power users.
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DELL DIMENSION XPS P60
Dell's offering is an attractive mid- size computer, even though it turned in relatively middling times on the BAPCo tests. A desk- top model, the Dimension XPS P60 is compact, light, and very easy to expand. In general, Dell's review system ran just slight-
22
COMPUTE JUNE 1994
Dell Dimension XPS P60 Direct price: $3,946 Warranty: one year, parts and labor (with on-site service)
Pros: reasonable speed, excellent engineering, sound card, 5%-incti floppy drive, space-saving design
Cons: expense for this configuration, limited expansion options, relatively small hard
DELL COMPUTER 9505 Arboretum Blvd. Austin, TX 78759 (800) 289-3355
ly slower than the other systems (except for the MidWest Micro and ZEOS machines, which were slower). On the spread- sheet test, however, it held its own, performing a little better than most of the other systems.
This computer comes with a Cre- ative Labs Sound Blaster multime- dia system. The sound card drives the CD-ROM drive, so you don't have to use two slots to get both options. The review system also came with Multimedia Prod- ucts' Sound Effects library, an extensive collection of sound clips you can use in your presen- tations or assign to Windows events (such as error message dialogs and application openings).
Perhaps the best things about this computer are its ultralight con- struction (29 pounds) and easily accessible expansion options. You open the case by removing one thumbscrew on the back of the system. The case flips open to reveal a very well engineered motherboard and case layout. The Dimension's bays and mem- ory banks are easily accessible.
It was considerate of Dell to install a combination 3V?-inch and 51/4-inch floppy unit, which requires only one bay for both drives. By the way, the Dell sys- tem is one of the two computers reviewed here that come stan- dard with a 51/4-inch drive. (The
MidWest Micro system is the oth- er.) If you have lots of programs and data stored on SWinch flop- pies, this feature could be impor- tant to you.
The video card in this system is a Number Nine GXE with 3MB of RAM — a MB more than any of the others. However, the extra MB didn't do much to improve per- formance. The Dimension's per- formance on the graphics tests was mediocre. The combination of the GXE and Dell's excellent 15-inch monitor, however, made for crisp, clean graphics.
A minor drawback is the sys- tem's 450MB hard drive (each of the other systems has a hard drive with at least 500MB). This computer's hard drive is ade- quate for most applications, but I wonder why Dell didn't go the
A NOTE ON PRICES
With computer technology chang- ing more rapidly than ever before and with options more plentiful than ever before, computer prices can be a tricky business.
It pays to keep the following points in mind:
Computers are available in a variety of configurations, each with a slightly different price. Also, because of the rapid changes in this market, a computer manufac- turer may change system compo- nents, software, or prices between the time a review is written and the time the magazine hits the stands. By the time you read this, for exam- ple, some computer manufacturers may offer a 66-MHz Pentium sys- tem for the same price we've listed for their 60-MHz systems.
Remember, too, that you're buy- ing support in addition to the com- puter. Find the support policy that meets your particular needs.
At COMPUTE, we make every effort to verify prices. This month, the price that appears with each review' is for the review configura- tion. It's a good idea, however, to call the manufacturer or vendor to make sure that the configuration you want matches the price you have in mind.
—MIKE HUDNALL
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TEST LAB
extra mile like everybody else — especially since this machine costs a few hundred dollars more than most of the others. Granted, you get Dell's great rep- utation and a great little comput- er, but . . .
The Dimension is backed by a responsive technical support staff. This is not the machine to buy if you need a graphics work- horse or a network server, but it's great for a workstation and home office use. My only real objection is that it costs too much.
Circle Reader Service Number 372
GATEWAY 2000 P5-60
Gateway's P5-60 scored right in the middle of the BAPCo tests, showing good, strong performance on all of them. Surprisingly, the sys- tem's performance was relatively
Gateway 2000 P5-60 Direct price: $4,127 Warranty: one year, parts and labor (with on-site service)
Pros: great 17-inch monitor; sound card and speakers; excellent expansion options; sturdy, excellent design
Cons: none
GATEWAY 2000 610 Gateway Dr. N. Sioux City, SD 57049 (800) 046-2000
even across the board. It didn't excel on any of the tests. In other words, this computer is plenty fast enough, but not especially adept at any particular application. The real story behind the P5-60 is expansion options and value.
Out of the box, this is a formidable- looking machine. The tower construe-
*mmmm*
tion is sleek and sturdy. Inside the case you'll find plenty of room for add- ing drives and other expansion op- tions. The memory bank area is so roomy that you can get to it with both hands, if need be. The P5-60 holds as many as five accessible drives and three fixed disks. In the review system, two of the five ac-
Are Pentiums fast? I'll say. The Busi- ness Applications Performance Cor- poration (BAPCo) SYSmark93 bench- marks were used to test these com- puters. The tests run a series of Win- dows applications in six categories. The categories and applications are
EXPLAINING THE NUMBERS
marks. These scores are com- pared to that of the calibration sys- tem, which is a 486DX-33 with 8MB of RAM. The calibration sys- tem runs at 100 SYSmarks, or about 2V? times more slowly than
|
as follows. Word processing: WordPerfect 5.2, Word for Windows 2.0, Ami Pro 3.0 |
250 Better |
Overall SYSmarks |
|
|
Spreadsheet: Lotus 1-2-3 4.0 for Windows, Excel 4.0 |
200 |
||
|
Database: Paradox 1 .0 |
150 |
||
|
Desktop graphics: CorelDRAW! 3.0 |
100 |
||
|
Desktop presentation: Freelance Graphics 2.0, PowerPoint 3.0 |
50 |
||
|
Desktop publishing: PageMaker 5.0 |
Worse 0 |
||
|
Systems are graded with SYS- marks. As you study the graphs, notice that the Pentiums turned in scores between 200 and 275 SYS- |
the average Pentium. To make the tests more meaningful, the BAPCo tests were run on a 486- 66 with local bus; the results are included in the charts for compari- son. Notice that the Pentiums ran about 75 percent faster than the 486-66 with a comparable display system.
Notice also that some of the Pentiums are more adept at cer- tain types of applications than oth- ers. You should look for a system that suits your particular needs. If you need an overall business ma- chine, select one that performed strongly across the board.
The BAPCo software is current- ly available for an introductory price of $99. Write to Business Applications Performance Corpora- tion, 2801 Northwestern Parkway, M/S NW1-20, Santa Clara, Califor- nia 95051. You can call the com- pany at (408) 988-7654. Circle Reader Service Number 378
24 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
cessible bays were occupied by a floppy drive and a CD-ROM drive.
Of all the computers reviewed here, Gateway's P5-60 has the most impressive display system. The graphics subsystem is pow- ered by the ATI mach32 with 2MB of memory (the same adapter that's in the Insight machine but with a MB more memory). Gateway also sent its 17-inch, high-resolu- tion CrystalScan monitor. The larg- er monitor makes text easier to read at higher resolutions, and the CrystalScan displays graphics daz- zlingly. In fact, you can't get better graphics and colors without shell- ing out an additional $1,000 for a monitor with a Sony Trinitron tube.
The review system came with an optional Gateway sound card and Labtec speakers, which add just over $100 to the cost. When you pur- chase a P5-60, you get your choice of one software application from a list of about ten titles, includ-
ing Microsoft Word, Access, and Ex- cel. Gateway guarantees the ma- chine with a one-year on-site war- ranty. Several extended warranty op- tions are available, including a two- year parts warranty, rather than the one-year on-site warranty. Gate- way's technical support lines are ex- tremely busy. More than once, I wait- ed several minutes to speak to a technician. But once I got through, the support person knew his ma- chine well. My questions were an- swered clearly and considerately. However, the manual that comes with the P5-60 is quite thorough— you may not have to call tech sup- port at all.
OK, so this is not the fastest com- puter in the bunch. It is, however, my pick for best value. If you plan to use this system for a graphics workstation, you should consider spending a few hundred dollars more for the 17-inch monitor.
Circle Reader Service Number 373
INSIGHT PCI P60 CD
Like the Gateway machine, the Insight PCI P60 CD comes in a stur- dy tower case and is easily expandable. It's aiso the second- fastest computer in this review, pri- marily because of the Intel PCI disk controller that Insight supplied in the test system (included in the price quoted in the features table). It performed well in all of the BAPCo categories, coming in slight- ly behind the first-place Austin com- puter in all instances. The only oth- er machine that performed as well is the Micron, which also came with a PCI disk controller. The PCI P60 CD is a fast computer.
I came close to choosing this sys- tem from Insight as the best value, but there are a few areas where it falls slightly short. For example, even though it has the same graph- ics card that the system from Gate- way has (an ATI mach32), the
BAPCo Benchmarks
Better
Worse
JUNE 1994 COMPUTE
25
TEST LAB
card comes with only 1MB of mem- ory. To max the card out, you'd have to purchase another MB. Also, the standard monitor is capa- ble of a resolution of only 1024 x 768, rather than the 1280 x 1024 supported by the graphics card and the rest of the monitors in this review. While you probably wouldn't want to run Win- dows at 1280 x 1024 on a 15- inch monitor (the text would be too small), you'd find the extra dots help- ful when working with graphics.
These small drawbacks aside, this computer is no slouch. It has more drive bays — five accessible and eight internal — than the others, making it ideal for a network serv- er. The system's speed also makes it a great desktop publish- ing system.
One reason for this computer's tremendous speed is the Intel disk controller. While this is not a cach-
Insight PCI P60 CD Direct price: $3,349 Warranty: one year, parts and labor
Pros: great price; excellent expansion options; strong, sturdy design; reasonable speed
Cons: graphics card with only 1MB RAM, monitor incapable ot 1280x1024
INSIGHT DIRECT 1912 W. Fourth St. Tempe, AZ 85281 (800) 927-7848
ing controller (as is the one in the Micron machine), it does boost sys- tem performance significantly. The computer was tested with and with- out the controller, and there was about a 10-percent performance dif- ference, which is significant when
working with large spreadsheet, database, and graphics files.
Insight does not offer buyers a choice of software applications, but the company does include four CD-ROM titles. Which titles you receive depends on what's available when you order your com- puter. I got a multimedia encyclo- pedia, an almanac, Publish It!, and
BAPCo Benchmarks
Better
Worse
Desktop Graphics
Desktop _ Presentation
Desktop Publishing
26 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
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Circle Reader Service Number 168
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TEST LAB
|
an interactive animals book. Insight systems have a one-year warran- ty, but it's not an on-site warranty. You have to send the system in to get it fixed. With speed, expansion, Insight's reputation for dependability and a relatively low price tag, you really can't go wrong with this computer My minor objection— the skimping in the display system configuration — can be corrected for a few hundred dollars more. If you need speed and expandability, check out this Pentium. Circle Reader Service Number 374 |
MICRON P60PCI P0WERSTATI0N CD Now here's another blazingly fast computer. The Micron P60PCI PowerStation CD came in fourth on the overall SYSmark tests but performed exceptional- ly well on the database, desktop graphics, and desktop publish- ing tests, In fact, it turned in the fastest times in both database and DTP processing. This desk- top machine is not only fast but easily expandable. |
Like the Dell desktop, the Pow- erStation offers easily accessible drive bays and memory banks. My only complaint is that the proc- essor chip socket is under the exhaust fan, making it difficult to get to. Most people never change their processor chips, but if you ever need to, it could be a chore in this system. The feature that makes this com- puter stand out is the Green Cache hard drive controller in- stalled in one of the PCI slots. This caching, mirroring controller came with 16MB of memory, Re- |
|||
|
Austin Power De|| Djmension xps p0O Gateway 2000 P5-60 system oo |
|||||
|
Price |
$3799 $3,946 $4,127 |
||||
|
BIOS type and version |
AMI 1.00. 03.AFI AMI-Del!1993 |
AMI 1.00.03.AFI |
|||
|
Case style |
desktop desktop |
tower |
|||
|
CD-ROM drive |
yes yes |
yes |
|||
|
Graphics adapter |
Diamond Stealtn 32 #9GXE ATI mach32 |
||||
|
Graphics adapter RAM |
2MB 3MB 2MB |
||||
|
Maximum resolution/colors |
1 280 x 1 024/256 1 1 52 x 870/256 1 280 x 1 024/256 |
||||
|
Maximum resolution/refresh rate |
1 280 x 1 024/60HZ 1 024 x 768/90Hz NA |
||||
|
Floppy drives |
3,5 5.25 and 3.5' 3.5 |
||||
|
Hard drive controller location |
motherboard motherboard |
motherboard |
|||
|
Hard drive controller |
proprietary proprietary |
proprietary |
|||
|
Hard drive size |
525MB 450MB |
540MB |
|||
|
Hard drive speed |
1 0 ms 12 ms |
11 ms |
|||
|
Monitor size |
15 |
15 |
17 |
||
|
PCI/VESA local bus |
PCI |
PC! |
PCI |
||
|
Sound card |
no |
yes |
yes |
||
|
Accessible drive bays |
3 |
3 |
3 |
||
|
Internal drive bays |
2 |
2 |
2 |
||
|
Available expansion slots |
2 PCI and 4 ISA |
2 PCI and 4 ISA |
2 PCI and 4 ISA |
||
|
Total expansion slots |
2 PCI. 4 ISA, and 1 PCI/ISA |
3 PCI and 5 ISA |
3 PCI and 5 ISA |
||
|
Installable RAM |
128MB |
128MB |
128MB |
||
|
Installed external cache |
256K |
256K |
256K |
||
|
On-board business audio |
no |
no |
no |
||
|
On-board SCSI |
no* |
no |
no |
||
|
Choice of software bundle |
one Lotus application |
none |
one application |
||
|
Windows version included |
Windows 3.1 |
Windows 3.1 |
WWG3.11 |
||
|
Other software included |
CD-ROM bundle |
Sound Effects Library |
Gateway 2000 bundle |
||
|
Warranty |
2 years, parts |
1 year |
1 year |
||
|
On-site service warranty |
first year |
1 year |
1 year |
||
|
"SCSI card included **12B0 x 1024/256 with 2MB on card, monitor capable of 1024x768 |
|||||
|
28 COMPUTE JUNE 1994 |
member that a cache holds data in anticipation that it will soon be needed by the processor, increas- ing speed by cutting down on hard drive access. The BAPCo tests were run with and without the controller. The overall differ- ence in performance was a whop- ping 15 percent, taking the Pow- erStation from the slowest ranking to fourth place, and to the fastest for a few applications. The Green Cache controller supports up to four IDE drives, several different memory configurations, and a wealth of options for fine-tuning
Micron P60PCI PowerStation CD
Direct price: $4,388
Warranty: one year, parts and labor,
including on-site service and
lifetime tech support
Pros: caching controller, speed,
space-saving design Cons: expense, lack of speed
without caching controller
MICRON COMPUTER 915E. KarcherRd. Nampa, ID 83687 (800) 388-6334 (208) 465-3434
Insight PCI P60 CD
Micron P60PCI PowerStation CD
MidWest Micro Elite P5-60 PCI
$3,349
$4,383
$3,299
ZEOS Pantera
$3,395
AMI 1.00,05 AFI
Phoenix for Pentium 1 .03
AMI 1.00.03.AFI
desktop
Phoenix 4.02
yes
yes
ATI mach32
Diamond Viper FCI
Diamond Viper PCI
2MB
1MB
1024x768/16*-
12S0x 1024/256
1024X768/72H2
1280 x 1024/60HZ
1280 x 1024/16
1280x1024/60Hz
yes
Diamond Viper PCI
2MB
1280x1024/256
1280 x 1024/74HZ
3.5
5 25' and 3.5
PCI slot
motherboard
motherboard
Intel PCI IDE
Gr_en Cache DC-690B PCI
540MB
proprietary
528MB
proprietary
1 PCI and 4 ISA
1 PCI and 4 ISA
2 PCI and 3 ISA
2 PCI and 4 ISA
3 PCI ana 5 ISA
3PCIano5ISA
3 PCI and 4 ISA
3 PCI and 5 ISA
128MB
none
Microsoft Office
Windows 3.1
4 CD-ROM titles
Windows 3.1
yes
one Lotus application
WWG3.11
1 year
3 years
1 year
1 year
optional
JUNE 1994 COMPUTE
29
TEST LAB
II I Ml
,11111 )Wi.Wl
^ 'IllllflillilHI
hard drive access.
The PowerStation's graphics subsystem is powered by the Dia- mond Viper PCI. The ZEOS and MidWest Micro computers also use this adapter, and I noticed that both of them did relatively well on the graphics tests. The MidWest Micro system turned in a lower score, but it had only 1 MB of video RAM, which can some- what slow the display.
The system I reviewed came with WordPerfect for Windows, but by the time you read this, Mi- cron will bundle Microsoft Office with its Pentiums. In addition, the systems will come with 66-MHz Pentium chips. You should note, however, that most tests to date have not revealed a significant per- formance difference between 60- MHz and 66-MHz chips. The 66- MHz chips are only slightly faster.
The PowerStation comes with a one-year on-site warranty. The technical support staff is knowl- edgeable. I really like this comput- er, but it costs more than $1,000 more than some of the others, pri- marily because of the caching con- troller, which is necessary for the PowerStation to maintain its pep- py performance.
Circle Reader Service Number 375
MIDWEST MICRO ELITE P5-60 PCI
The Elite P5-60 PCI is the least expensive system reviewed here, and it's also the slowest. All of the other Pentium machines in this round-
30
COMPUTE JUNE 1994
MidWest Micro Elite P5-60 PCI Direct price: $3,299 Warranty: three years, parts and
labor; 30-day money-back
guarantee
Pros: low price, 17-inch monitor, well-designed minitower, 5%-lnch (loppy drive, three-year warranty
Cons: relative lack of speed
MIDWEST MICRO 6910 U.S. Rte. 36 E
Fletcher, OH 45326 (800) 972-8844
up turned in better scores on the BAPCo tests. Be careful, however, not to purchase a computer based on speed tests alone. This minitow- er system still delivers Pentium per- formance and has many features to recommend it, including strong expansion options, a good graph- ics card, and a 17-inch monitor.
The sturdy, compact tower case has four accessible and four internal drive bays, which is more space than most people will ever need. The motherboard is easy to get to; you'd have no trouble insert- ing cards, installing memory, or add- ing new drives. Unlike most of the others, the Elite comes with a 51/j- inch floppy drive, which means you wouldn't have to add one.
The Diamond Viper PCI graphics adapter in this machine is the same card that's in some of the systems that turned in impressive speeds in this review. However, this one comes with only 1MB of DRAM. You'd have to purchase another MB to get the most from the high-reso- lution, 17-inch monitor (with 0.26- mm dot pitch). While it's not as ele- gant as the Gateway 2000 Crystal- Scan, the MidWest Micro monitor will serve all but the most critical high-end color graphics applica- tions quite well.
Also impressive is MidWest Micro's three-year REAL warranty, which includes all components, such as the hard drive, monitor, and so on. Computers don't break down often, but it's reassuring to know
TEST LAB PICKS
If you're choosing a Pentium system for a home-based office or small busi- ness, you really can't go wrong with any of these computers. Depending on your application, each of these workhorses has something to recom- mend it over the others.
Hands down, the MidWest Micro system is the best bargain. It has the lowest price and comes with a 17- inch monitor, which would cost yau a few hundred dollars more with most other companies. However, the MidWest Micro is also the slow- est computer reviewed here, and the monitor is not really good enough for high-end graphics work. If you're looking for speed and a good graphics display, go with the Gateway 2000 machine.
If you need a blazing performer, take a look at the Austin computer. It's the fastest of these seven, it's reason- ably priced, and it comes with a SCSI card for added expansion.
The three tower systems reviewed here— from Gateway 2000, Insight, and ZEOS— are all ideal for network servers. They provide excellent drive and other expansion options. The In- sight and Gateway 2000 computers are slightly faster; however, only the most demanding network environ- ment would benefit noticeably from the performance difference.
—WILLIAM HARREL
that yours is covered well past the standard one year. In three years there will be a new processor stan- dard anyway. You might be looking at a new system by then.
The Elite's documentation is a lit- tle sparse. If you like to add cards and other options yourself, you won't get much help from the man- uals. However, I called technical support a few times, and the reps knew their computers well.
Again, I was disappointed with the Elite's performance on the BAPCo tests, but speed isn't eve- rything— surely not a reason to dis- qualify this computer as a good val- ue. Many people compute on a budget and are willing to sacrifice a benchmark point or two for a few hundred dollars.
Circle Reader Service Number 376
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tfi* ■SnoquBlmie Fa1f». WA' QuickoM; 434 mil«. 7 hr* 37 mm. M6.37
|
Timt |
inslruciioti |
Road |
DIM |
Dtr |
r™..,..-. |
|
1MM |
DEPART Portland (Oft] on th« |
(5 |
lOmltai |
N |
Tacomi |
|
10:14 |
Ai Vancouver may an lha |
15 |
20mita» |
N |
Tacoma |
|
10 31 |
At Woodland nay on lha |
15 |
19 mitaa |
N |
Tacoma |
|
10:49 |
At Katto *Tay on tha |
15 |
10 mil.-. |
N |
Tacoma |
|
10:68 |
At Catila Rocfc nay on th« |
IB |
28 rniloi |
N |
Tacoma |
|
11:26 |
At ChahaKa itay on tha |
15 |
3 milai |
N |
Tacoma |
|
11:27 |
At Cent re hs ttay on tha |
15 |
24 miles |
N |
Tacoma |
|
11:49 |
At Oh/mpla way cm lha |
15 |
22mil« |
N |
Tacoma |
|
12:10 |
Tom olf omo |
S512 |
2 m,l.->. |
E |
l Parkland' |
|
11:11 |
At Parkland nay on (he |
S512 |
imta |
E |
IPuyallup) |
|
12:20 |
At Puvallup 90 onto |
S167 |
emitot |
N |
Ramon |
|
12:27 |
At Algona lurn right onto |
S18 |
3m.ta» |
E |
lAutMifnl |
|
12.29 |
At Auburn nay on lha |
SIB |
to m ■ |
E |
liawouahi |
|
12:55 |
Turn rtflhl omo |
WO |
2mit*t |
E |
Spokane |
|
1267 |
Taka tha |
ssa |
Irrula |
N |
|
|
12:68 |
Taka tha |
Local road |
2mila* |
||
|
13*2 |
ARRIVE Snoqualmte Falit (WA) |
||||
|
13,02 |
DEPART Snoqoalmie Fells |
Local toad |
2mitm |
||
|
13.06 |
Taka lha |
S202 |
8nuto» |
N |
|
|
13:12 |
Taka tha |
S203 |
23mHa. |
N |
(Monro*! |
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0 Copyright 1988-93. NextBase Ltd. Automap is a registered trademark of NexlBase Ltd Circle Reader Service Number 137
TEST LAB
ZEOS PANTERA
Like the MidWest Micro system, the ZEOS Pantera did not turn in blaz- ing results on the BAPCo bench- marks. However, of all these machines, this one has the most expansion options and impressive features. If you need a strong net- work server or have an application requiring potentially enormous stor- age capacity check out this system.
Out of the box, the Pantera moth- erboard supports up to four IDE hard drives. There is also a SCSI-2 option, which allows you to run high- capacity SCSI drives and tape back- up drives. To activate the SCSI op- tion, all you do is plug in a chip, turn the SCSI option on in the ma- chine's BIOS setup, and take off.
Also impressive is the Pantera's business audio feature. Unlike the system boards in the other comput- ers, this system board comes
ZEOS Pantera
Direct price: $3,395 (plus $49 for
SCSI option) Warranty: one year, parts and labor
Pros: built-in SCSI option and sound, most expansion options, well-designed case
Cons: relative lack of speed
ZEOS INTERNATIONAL 1301 Industrial Blvd. Minneapolis, WIN 55413 (800) 423-5891 (612) 362-1234
* ViW f I I i.
ready to support sound. Just plug your speakers or headphones into the back. There is also a jack for a microphone. Granted, the sound isn't comparable to the high-fideli- ty stereo sound you get from some high-end sound cards, but it's adequate for most applications.
PENTIUM VERSUS POWERPC: WHICH WILL WIN THE DESKTOP WARS?
IBM and Apple are about to release a new computer chip that could revo- lutionize the desktop— the PowerPC. According to both companies, Pow- erPC computers, based on Motoro- la's PP601 RISC processor, will cost less and run much faster than the Pen- tium. And, to boot, they'll run not only Windows programs but also DOS pro- grams and all Macintosh programs that run under System 7.
Theoretically, you'll get two comput- ers in one. Windows will run under an interpreter developed by Insignia So- lutions. Recent attempts at running Win- dows emulation software on Macin- toshes have resulted in much too sluggish performance. Windows emula- tion on the PowerPC is expected to be better but not optimal. Experts are pre- dicting that the PowerPC will run Win- dows programs with performance sim- ilar to that of a 25-MHz 486. If you've ever run graphics programs at this speed, you know they're a bit slow.
Macintosh applications should run faster, but where the PowerPC will ex- cel is in applications written especial- ly for the platform. Several compa- nies, including IBM and Apple, are dedicated to developing PowerPC pro-
grams, but there aren't many availa- ble yet, and it could be a while be- fore you see many. You'll probably never see as many PowerPC pro- grams as Windows programs.
Will the PowerPC be less expen- sive? At first, possibly. However, In- tel is poised and ready. The compa- ny has stepped up production of the Pentium chip. As you can see, from the accompanying reviews, Pentium prices are already reasonable, es- pecially when compared to new re- leases of earlier technologies. Pen- tium prices currently run around $3,000. The first PowerPCs are ex- pected to weigh in at about $2,000. However, wait a few more months, and you very well may see some Pen- tium systems encroaching on the $2,000 mark. Systems based on 486 technology will cost less than $1 ,000. The question is, How low can Apple and IBM go on the PowerPC?
The bottom line: More than 50,000 applications run on Intel machines. Don't bank on a new, yet-to-be-estab- lished platform. The PowerPC proba- bly will make a difference. But it will be years before anybody loosens Intel's stranglehold on desktop computers.
32
COMPUTE JUNE 1994
Most people don't use sound with their computers often. Until now, though, you had to buy a Macin- tosh to get a system with sound built into the motherboard.
Speaking of the motherboard, the Pantera's is so spacious and ac- cessible that you can drive a truck through it. Everything is easy to get to, including the memory banks, proc- essor socket, and four motherboard plugs for the hard drives. ZEOS's documentation is thorough and easy to follow. The company also has an instant fax-back system, where you can get documentation on any of the components, such as the hard drive or graphics card.
I called the ZEOS 24-hour tech- nical support line several times. Most often, I got through after a five- minute (or so) wait. Once, I was forced to leave a message. The Pan- tera line was just being released dur- ing the review period. The techni- cians had not been trained on these systems yet, but they did have access to pertinent documen- tation and the company's engi- neers. Typically though, ZEOS pro- vides great technical support.
If you're looking for the fastest computer around, look elsewhere. But if you need a sturdy system you can't outgrow, check out the Pan- tera. With up to four hard drives, built-in SCSI, and built-in business audio (which frees two ISA slots), this computer will serve you well now and into the future.
Circle Reader Service Number 377
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CIE's reputation as the world leader in home study electronics is based solely on the success of our graduates. And we've earned our reputation with an unconditional commitment to provide our students with the very best electronics training.
Just ask any of the I 50,000-plus graduates of the Cleveland Institute of Electronics who are working in high- paying positions with aerospace, computer, medical, automotive and communications firms throughout the world.
They'll tell you success didn't come easy.. .but it did come.. .thanks to their CIE training. And today, a career in electronics offers more rewards than ever before.
CIE'S COMMITTED TO BEING THE BEST.. .IN ONE AREA.. .ELECTRONICS.
CIE isn't another be-everything-to- everyone school. CIE teaches only one subject and we believe we're the best at what we do. Also, CIE is accredited by the National Home Study Council. And with more than 1,000 graduates each yearr we're the
largest home study school specializing exclusively in electronics. CIE has been training career-minded students like yourself for nearly sixty years and we're the best at our subject.. ..ELECTRONICS.. .BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY SUBJECT WE TEACH!
CIE PROVIDES A LEARNING METHOD SO GOOD ITS PATENTED.
CIE's AUTO-PROGRAMMED(h) lessons are a proven learning method for building valuable electronics career skills. Each lesson is designed to take you step-by-step and principle-by- principal. And while all of CIE lessons are designed for independent study, CIE's instructors are personally avail- able to assist you with just a toll free call. The result is practical training... the kind of experience you can put to work in today's marketplace.
LEARN BY DOING.. WITH STATE- OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING.
CIE pioneered the first Electronics Laboratory Course and the first Microprocessor Course. Today, no other home study school can match CIE's state-of-the-art equipment and
training. And all your laboratory equipment books and lessons are included in your tuition. It's all yours to use while you study and for on-the- job after you graduate.
PERSONALIZED TRAINING.. -TO MATCH YOUR BACKGROUND.
While some of our students have a working knowledge of electronics others are just starting out. That's why CIE has developed twelve career courses and an A.A.S. Degree pro- gram to choose from. So, even if you're not sure which electronics career is best for you, CIE can get you started with core lessons applicable to all areas in electronics. And every CIE Course earns credit towards the completion of your Associate in Applied Science Degree. So you can work toward your degree in stages or as fast as you wish. In fact, CIE is the only school that actually rewards you for fast study, which can save you money.
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PROGRAMMING POWER
Tom Campbel
I chuckled to myself because the notion
was clearly years, if not decades, away.
..
MICROHELP'S HIGHEDIT
A few years ago the notion of "software ICs" spread like wild- fire through the computing in- telligentsia. The thought was that you should be able to plug software components like text editors and spread- sheets together with the same sort of cleanly defined inter- face that engineers employ to create electronic products us- ing integrated circuits. I chuck- led to myself because the no- tion was clearly years, if not decades, away. Vendors could never get it together to create such a cooperative pro- gramming environment . . . or could they?
Visual Basic was already one of Microsoft's top-selling products. Its custom controls had provided developers with a means of extending the Vis- ual Basic programming environ- ment without having the source code to Visual Basic it- self, and they were already sell- ing like suntan oil at a nudist colony.
Visual Basic controls, cus- tom or not, work like this. A float- ing tool palette like the one you see in a paint or draw pro- gram contains a selection of control icons. You click on an icon and "paint" the control on- to the screen. Most controls, such as list boxes, edit fields, and command buttons, are vis- ible. A few, such as timers, are not. A control has methods, properties, and events. A meth- od is a subroutine unique to that control, such as Addltem in a list box. A property is a con- figuration variable that can be read or written to, such as BackColor and ForeColor. An event is a user-modifiable sub- routine such as Click and KeyPressed that fires when some part of the control is ac- tivated. The genius of Visual Ba- sic is that Microsoft opens up
the custom control format and allows anyone to write custom controls that integrate Visual Basic applications quickly and easily. Just choose Add File from the File menu, choose the VBX file (internally, VBXs are DLLs) from \WIN- DOWSXSYSTEM, and vola- tile icon for the new control is added to your tool palette for this project. Microsoft and all the vendors I'll cover in com- ing months allow you to dis- tribute the VBXs to users free, so the custom controls can be- come part of any Visual Basic application you care to sell. You need only pay for the con- trol when you buy it for devel- opment. (An accompanying LIC file, which you most certain- ly may not distribute, identifies your system as a development environment and gives you programmatical access to the VBX control.)
One of the most asked-for custom controls on Compu- Serve is a text box with a ca- pacity greater than the 50K or so built into Windows and that supports multiple fonts. Mi- croHelp (4359 Shallowford In- dustrial Parkway, Marietta, GA 30066; 404-516-0898) has filled that need with the impres- sive HighEdit, a custom con- trol that handles multiple fonts, multiple windows, col- ored text, search and replace, left and right margins, left-jus- tified tabs, text-only support for the Windows Clipboard, superscripts, subscripts, word wrap, and importing and exporting of ASCII files. Files can be stored in industry-stan- dard Rich Text Format (RTF) or a proprietary HED format. There's also support for "input fields," which allow you to add mail merge to your edit con- trol. While the documentation on input fields is somewhat sparse, they can be used for many other things, such as macros that stop and ask the user for input, or an indexing
scheme that uses invisible in- put fields to mark words to be indexed.
HighEdit maintains a su- perb balance between feature richness and flexibility. For example, there's a built-in toolbar that can't be custom- ized, but you can easily disa- ble it and supply your own, us- ing standard Visual Basic tech- niques. Likewise, you can use HighEdit's handy built-in dia- logs for font and color selec- tion, file I/O, and search and replace, or you can use the Windows common dialogs.
The documentation for High- Edit is complete but not gener- ous. There's no tutorial and lit- tle advice for structuring your program (for example, should you handle multiple windows within HighEdit or use MDI child windows?). Surprisingly, there was no mention of Mi- croHelp's other products, such as its SpellPro spelling check- er, its Communications Library, or its Gizmos custom control pack, all of which can work seamlessly with HighEdit.
It seems to me that the com- parison baseline for a product like this should be Write, which comes free with Win- dows. Here HighEdit has over- looked a few obvious features, such as undo, insertion of im- ages via the Windows Clip- board, and decimal tabs. HighEdit is also quite slow com- pared to Write when loading files over about 100K. The rea- son for slow loads is usually that an editor is formatting the file internally as it loads, yet the HighEdit control still re- quires manual reformatting at times and doesn't paginate on the fly. I'd like to see those things changed. Tabs are al- so a bit awkward. Despite these shortcomings, HighEdit is a great way to get multiple fonts, big files, and mail merge into your next Visual Ba- sic app with amazingly little work. G
34 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
coming this summer
for PC CD-ROM 1-800-238-4277
For a free Harvester Demo video tape send a $3.95 check or money order for postage and handling to: Merit Software, 13707 Gamma Road, Dallas, TX 75S44
©1994 Merit Software. ©1994 Future Visionary, Inc. Harvester is registered trademark of Future Visionary, Inc. AH Rights Reserved.
TIPS & TOOLS
Edited by Richard C. Leinecker
Get access to
Windows when your
screen saver locks
you out, and view the
time from
the command line.
One-Line Time
in reading your November 1993 "Tips & Tools," I noted the ongoing quest for the sim- plest one-line time procedure. Here's my version. It's a batch file called FINDTIME- .BAT
©ECHO OFF ECHO.ITIMEIFINDis"
ECHO. I pipes an Enter key to the Time command. The prob- lem with the Time command is that it waits for you to press Enter. This way there's an En- ter key equivalent piped to it so it doesn't wait.
The output of the Time com- mand is piped to Find, which filters out all but the line con- taining the string is. That's the line that reports the time.
SCOTT CO I LEY THOMASTON, ME
Advance and Be Recognized
Have you ever forgotten your Windows screen-saver pass- word? It can be a real hassle if you do. I've found a way to retype a password without knowing the old password. First, load your CONTROL.INI file into Notepad. Scroll down until you find a headline that says "[SCREEN SAVER]". Af- ter that it says "Password^' fol- lowed by your password in code. Delete everything to the right of the equal sign.
Save the file, exit Windows, and restart Windows. When you're back in Windows, open the Control Panel, se- lect Desktop, open Screen Saver Setup, and type in your new password. Your new pass- word will now work for the screen saver.
JESSE COURCHAINE SUN PRAIRIE, Wl
Multidisk BACK
You might recall that last month I published a tip from Ki- rill Semenov that used PKZIP
to back up files. His tip re- quired the registered version of PKZIP to back up files over multiple disks. I spent some time working with his BACK- .BAT program and came up with a small BASIC program that lets you use multiple disks even without the regis- tered version of PKZIP. We at COMPUTE feel strongly that you should register PKZIP and any other shareware that you're using, but this work- around will help you get by while you wait for your regis- tered version to arrive.
The BASIC program is Copybig, and the batch file (which is just a variation of Mr. Semenov's) is called BACK1.BAT Replace the di- rectories listed in BACK1.BAT with the names of the directo- ries you want to back up. D:\WORK\TELIX and
D:\WORK\CHESS are just ex- amples. Make sure the flop- pies you use are completely blank. And make sure you don't overlap backup files on the floppies. If a large file takes 21/2 disks, don't try to save anything else on the last disk. Continue the backup with a fresh disk.
To restore these files, you need the BASIC program Rest- big and the batch file REST1- .BAT
Here is COPYBIG. BAS. Re- member that an indented line is a continuation of the preced- ing line.
OPEN "ZIPFILE" FOR INPUT AS #1
INPUT #1, DR$
INPUT #1, FILE$
CLOSE #1
disknum% = 1
PRINT "Insert disk number ";
disknum%; " then press a
key . . ." GOSUB WaitKey DN$ = STR$(disknum%) DRFILE$ = LEFT$(DR$, 2) +
RIGHT$(DN$, 1) + F1LE$ OPEN DRFILE$ FOR BINARY AS #2
LEN = 512
OPEN FILE$ FOR BINARY AS #1
LEN = 512 destpointer = 1 srcpointer = 1 ON ERROR GOTO DiskFull TRANSFERS = SPACE$(512) CopyLoop:
GET #1, srcpointer, TRANSFERS IF E0F(1) GOTO FileDone srcpointer = srcpointer + 512 PUT #2, destpointer, TRANSFERS destpointer = destpointer + 512 GOTO CopyLoop DiskFull: CLOSE #2 DRFILE$ = LEFT$(DR$, 2) +
"MOREFILZ" OPEN DRFILE$ FOR BINARY AS #2 CLOSE #2 BEEP
disknum% = disknum% + 1 PRINT "Insert disk number ";
disknum%; " then press a
key . . ." GOSUB WaitKey DN$ = STR$(disknum%) DRFILE$ = LEFT$(DR$, 2) +
RIGHT$(DN$, 1) + FILE$ OPEN DRFILE$ FOR BINARY AS #2 destpointer a 1 RESUME WaitKey: a$ = INKEY$
IFa$ = "" GOTO WaitKey RETURN FileDone:
PUT #2, destpointer, TRANSFER$ CLOSE #1 CLOSE #2 SYSTEM
Here is BACK1.BAT
©ECHO OFF ECHO.
IF"%1'W" GOTO NOPARAMS IF "%1"=="a:" GOTO BACKUP IF"%1'W'A:" GOTO BACKUP IF"%r=="b:" GOTO BACKUP IF"%1"=="B:" GOTO BACKUP GOTO BADJRIVE :BACKUP CLS
ECHO WARNING: Backup process ECHO may require multiple disks! ECHO.
ECHO Insert first backup disk in drive %1 . PAUSE
36 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
ECHO.
ECHO Performing disk diagnostics
on backup media . . . CHKDSK/f%1 CLS ECHO.
ECHO Backing up: D:\WORK\ ECHO TELIX and subdirectories ECHO to TELIX.ZIP . . . ECHO.
ECHO %1 > ZIPFILE ECHO TELIX.ZIP >> ZIPFILE PKZIP -rp TELIX D:\
WORKVTELIXW* QBASIC /RUN COPYBtG DEL TELIX.ZIP CLS ECHO.
ECHO Backing up: D:\WORK\ ECHO CHESS and subdirectories ECHO to CHESS.ZIP . . . ECHO.
ECHO %1 > ZIPFILE ECHO CHESS.ZIP >> ZIPFILE PKZIP -rp CHESS D:\WORK\
CHESSW*
QBASIC /RUN COPYBIG DEL CHESS.ZIP :DONE CLS ECHO. ECHO Done! ECHO.
ECHO Performing disk diagnostics ECHO on backup media . . . CHKDSK/f%1 DIR %1 GOTO END :BAD_DRIVE
ECHO A hard disk is not ECHO supported as a destination. GOTO END :NOPARAMS
ECHO Usage: BACK1 [DESTDRIVE] :END
Here is RESTBIG. BAS.
OPEN "ZIPFILE" FOR INPUT AS #1
INPUT #1, DR$
INPUT #1, FILE$
CLOSE #1
disknum% = 1
GOSUB InsertNextDisk
OPEN FILES FOR BINARY AS #1
LEN = 512 destpointer = 1 TRANSFERS = SPACE$(512) CopyLoop:
GET #2, srcpointer, TRANSFERS IF EOF(2) GOTO FileDone srcpointer = srcpointer + 512 PUT #1, destpointer, TRANSFERS destpointer = destpointer + 512 GOTO CopyLoop InsertNextDisk: ON ERROR GOTO
InsertCorrectDisk BEEP PRINT "Insert disk number ";
disknum%; " then press a
key . . ." GOSUB WaitKey DN$ = STR$(disknum%) DRFILES = LEFT$(DR$, 2) +
RIGHT$(DN$, 1) + FILES OPEN DRFILES FOR INPUT AS #2 CLOSE #2 OPEN DRFILES FOR BINARY AS #2
LEN = 512 srcpointer = 1 RETURN
InsertCorrectDisk: BEEP PRINT "Insert disk number ";
disknum%; " then press a
key . . ." GOSUB WaitKey RESUME FileDone: CLOSE #2
ON ERROR GOTO DoneCopying DRFILES = LEFT$(DR$, 2) +
"MOREFILZ" OPEN DRFILES FOR INPUT AS #2 CLOSE #2
disknum% = disknum% + 1 GOSUB InsertNextDisk GOTO CopyLoop WaitKey: a$ = INKEYS
IF a$ = "" GOTO WaitKey RETURN DoneCopying: CLOSE #1 SYSTEM
HereisREST1.BAT.
@ECHO OFF
ECHO.
IF "%1"== "" GOTO NOPARAMS
IF "%1"=="a:" GOTO BACKUP
IF "%1"=="A:M GOTO BACKUP
IF "%1"=="b:" GOTO BACKUP
IF "%1"=="B:" GOTO BACKUP
GOTO BADJ3RIVE
:BACKUP
CLS
ECHO WARNING: Restore process
ECHO may span multiple disks!
ECHO.
ECHO Insert first backup disk in
ECHO drive %1.
PAUSE
ECHO.
ECHO Restoring: D:\WORK\TELIX
ECHO and subdirectories . . .
ECHO.
ECHO %1 > ZIPFILE
ECHO TELIX.ZIP >> ZIPFILE
QBASIC /RUN RESTBIG
PKUNZIP -d -0 TELIX D:\WORK\
TEUX\
DEL TELIX.ZIP CLS ECHO.
ECHO Restoring: D:\WORK\CHESS ECHO and subdirectories . . . ECHO.
ECHO %1 > ZIPFILE ECHO CHESS.ZIP >> ZIPFILE QBASIC /RUN RESTBIG PKUNZIP -d -0 CHESS D:\WORK\
CHESSX
DEL CHESS.ZIP :DONE CLS ECHO. ECHO Done! ECHO. GOTO END :BAD_DRIVE ECHO A hard disk is not ECHO supported as a destination. GOTO END :NOPARAMS ECHO Usage: REST1
[SOURCEDRIVE] :END
RICHARD C. LEINECKER REIDSVILLE, NC
If you have an interesting tip that you think would help oth- er PC users, send it along with your name, address, and Social Security number to COMPUTE'S Tips & Tools, 324 West Wendover Avenue, Suite 200, Greensboro, North Carolina 27408. For each tip we publish, we '11 pay you $25- $50. All tips submitted be- come the property of General Media International. D
An update of last month's backup tip makes use of multiple disks.
JUNE 1994 COMPUTE
37
ADVERTISEMENT
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023 2028 2033 2038 2043 2048 2053
Don't let your money run out before you do!
Easy-to-use software tells you what to do novo in order to he secure in your retirement years.
By Charles Anton
Someone once said, "old age is not for sissies." In fact, retirement years c be fun. But not if you ignore your he^ • h- or your financial security!
To help you plan for retirement, a team of leading financial planning experts and com- puter programmers at MacKenzie Systems got together over the last three years to create Destiny — a computer program that lets you take control of your own financial destiny.
Top planners. The
MacKenzie team, work- ing with a major retire- ment association, talked to hundreds of people from all walks of life. People as young as 30, were beginning to worry about financial security for their retire- ment years.
While Destiny's cal- culations are sophisti- cated, running the pro- gram for yourself is as easy as one, two, three. You are prompted to answer some key ques- tions and asked what expectations you have. Within a few seconds a spreadsheet and a series of graphs materialize with all the planning done for vou.
Your own portfolio manager.
With this program you can elect to have the personal Portfolio Manager take over. Whether you choose an aggressive approach, a stan- dard approach or even a more conservative approach, the manager auto- matically selects a relatively more conservative one as you get closer to retirement.
Through Sector Management, the Portfolio Manager maintains a
balance among high, moderate and low risk assets according to the allocation strat- egy that you choose. To main- tain the right
balance of investments, the manager
adjusts your portfolio as time goes by.
No other program incorporates these
sophisticated calculations.
The Social Security myth. Most people know you can't rely on social security alone to meet retirement needs. Destiny can answer this problem and many others. It uses infor- mation such as age, the assets you already own, your investment strategy and expenses you might have along the way, such as tuition for your children. If you are already retired, Destiny can show you how much you can safe- ly spend each year. Can my money work harder? As recently re- ported on CNN, the most common mistake people make in managing their savings is being too conservative. Destiny allows you to see the impact of following a more aggressive savings strategy at a comfortable level of risk.
By answering easy- prompts on your moni- tor, the program stores essential information such as your age, your income, your invest- ments and your assets. Then it tells you what you can expect to have in real dollars to take care of your security. If you'd like to change what the figures and graphs reveal for your future, you must go back to
Before. Without a plan., you could run out of money.
your original input and experiment with more 'put aside' money so that future income will be adequate to your wishes.
And inflation? Unfortunately, inflation is a fact of life. Inflation can be set at whatever level you estimate for the future in any plan you decide to follow.
The results can change in seconds to color- ful graphs that tell exactly what to expect for each year of the future. Your retirement time, instead of being gray and uncertain, sudden- ly becomes cheerful, predictable and secure. Each projection could cost $1000. To have this personal information forecasted for any given situation by a financial advisor could cost up to S1000. However, because this program is a moveable feast, forecast-wise, you can have as many projections as you like at one low price.
This offer is not available anywhere in the U.S. To intro- duce it to the public, Comtrad is offer- ing the MacKenzie Retirement System complete with pro- gram disk, owner's manual and work- book for the low introductory price of only $179, plus $12 shipping and handling.
Risk-Free technology. The MacKenzie Retirement System is offered with a 30-day 'No Questions Asked" return policy by Comtrad Industries, one of America's largest mail order houses for the past 10 years. Don't miss this opportunity to predict your future. Most orders are processed within 72 hours.
Free book makes you an expert.
Order Destiny, and we'll send you the "Retirement Planning Workbook" abso- lutely free. It's not just another book about financial planning; its purpose is to increase your understanding of financial planning concepts. You'll also get an owner's manual and access to a technical question hotline.
Required: PC/XT or higher; minimum 640 K mem- ory, a hard drive and MS-DOS 3.3 or higher.
MacKenzie Retirement System S99 $6 S&H
Please mention promotional VrWtj302-CU1117 '. For fastest service, call toll free 24 hours a day.
800-992-2966
After. Careful planning lets you live comfortably, even in your later years.
S
To order by mail, send check or money order for the total amount or enclose your credit card number and expiration date (VA residents add 4.5% sales tax).
INDUSTRIES
2820 Waterford Lake Drive Suite 106 Midlothian, Virginia 23223
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Could this be your dog?
New product by Radio Fence creates a hidden banier to keep your dog in your yard and out of trouble. Finally, you can protect your dog from traffic and other dangerous situations without locking him in a pen.
By Cliarles Anton
All dog owners have the same dilem- i ma. On one hand they want to give their dog the freedom to roam and exercise. On the other hand, they are worried about his safety.
Up until now the only solution was to install a costly conventional fence. Not anymore! No leashes or cages. Now there's Radio Fence, the breakthrough alterna- tive for dog owners. Radio Fence is an underground electrical barrier which works with a receiver on your dog's collar. It beeps your dog when he nears the boundary and gives him a small electrical cor- rection if he tries to cross it. It keeps your dog safe and out of trouble without having to resort to expen- sive fences, runs ropes or chains that could injure your pet.
A hidden barrier. Radio Fence acts as a hidden barrier that gives your dog access to the whole yard but inhibits his movements into unwanted areas. Your prize-winning rose garden or pool will be safe. Unlike standard fences, Radio Fence does not detract from the beauty of your home or lawn.
A hidden barrier that only your dog knows is there- No more ugly, expensive fences
■ No more restrictive enclosures
■ No more ruined flower beds m No more knocked over trash cans
■ No more complaining neighbors
■ No more worrying about your dog's safety or protection
Safety and freedom.
Radio Fence will work with any size or breed of dog. The correction, which is similar to a static electricity charge, will not hurt your pet in any way.
Plus Radio Fence meets all FCC require- ments, ensuring your dog's safety and giving you peace of mind. Custom boundary. With Radio Fence, you will receive 500 feet of wire that can be easily in- stalled in just two to three hours. The wire will ac- commodate up to a half-acre yard. The Radio Fence System also in- cludes a transmitter with a signal powerful enough to broadcast to approxi- mately two acres. If you want to expand your Radio Fence boundaries, simply order an addi- tional roll of wire.
Easy training. By spending just fifteen min- utes a day working with your dog, he will be ful- ly trained in six to seven days. Radio Fence is more effective than other systems because it allows your pet to control the corrective treatment (which is definite but mild) and he soon learns to avoid it.
Radio Fence creates a hidden barrier around your yard that safely contains your pet.
|
.<4mm |
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Mk crystal-tuned transmitter plugs into a standard outlet and emits
^^^ a radio signal that travels along an underground wire. (The
wire only needs to be buried an inch or two to prevent anyone from
accidentally cutting or tripping over it.) The four-ounce receiver,
worn on your pet's existing collar, picks up the radio signal and alerts
him as he nears the hidden boundary that you have customized for
your yard. If he crosses the boundary, he Keep your dog safe and out u ^ *
of trouble with Radio Fence, will receive a small, electrical correction.
chain link fence ladlo Fence
You can train as many dogs as you want on the same system as long as they are each wearing a receiver collar.
Affordable fence. The
maintenance-free design, low initial investment, and ease of installation offer tremendous sav- ings. Other solutions could cost you thousands of dollars. Radio Fence is the economical and ef- fective alternative to unsightly fencing.
Three easy payments of $66. To introduce this product, we are offering it directly to you for a limited time at a special price. If you order now, Radio Fence is yours for only $198. In fact, credit card customers can have the Radio Fence System in three easy monthly installments of $66 (plus $16 S&H). To train more dogs on one Radio Fence System, order additional receivers for only $129 each, or you can make three payments of $43 (plus $8 S&H).
Try it risk free. At Comtrad, we back all our products with a "No Questions Asked" money- back guarantee. If you're not completely satisfied for any reason, just return Radio Fence within 60 days for a full refund. Radio Fence also comes with a one-year manufacturer's warranty and a one-year unconditional lightning warranty.
Radio Fence. The Radio Fence System includes a transmitter, a lightweight receiver for your pet's collar, an antennae, the boundary cable and the complete installation and training manual. Plus, you'll receive a helpful video that will make installation and training extremely simple.
Radio Fence System $198 $16S&h
Additional Receiver... $129 $8 S&H
Credit card customers 3 payment of $66 $16 S&H
Please mention promotional code 032-CU1108. For fastest service call toll-free 24 hours a day
800-992-2966
To order by mail send check or money order for the total amount including S&H (VA residents add 4.5% sales tax). Or just charge it to your credit card, en- closing your account number and expiration date.
INDUSTRIES
2820 Waterford Lake Drive Suite 106 Midlothian, Virginia 23113
HARDWARE CLINIC
Mark Minasi
Multiply the speed of your computer
by installing a clock- doubling chip.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
The eternal question among computer users who bought machines in the late 1980s is, What can you do with an old 386 to jazz it up a bit?
Get a new motherboard. If you've been reading this col- umn for the past few years, you know that I always recom- mend buying generic PCs so that motherboard upgrades are an option; if you buy from a maker of proprietary comput- ers, then your computer will have an oddly shaped case and motherboard, rendering it incapable of accommodating a replacement motherboard.
But even if you can put a new motherboard in your com- puter, it'll cost about $300 to $800 for the board itself. And then you'll probably have to buy new RAM because the fast- er processor on the new moth- erboard will probably require it. Add the cost of eight 1MB SIMMs, and the upgrade price goes up about $250, mak- ing the total upgrade cost a minimum of $550 to $1,050. For turning your old 20-MHz 386 into a 486DX2-66, $1,050 isn't a bad price. It may not be within your budget, however.
A less expensive answer is to replace your CPU with a clock-doubling chip.
The notion of a clock dou- bler first appeared in 1991, when Intel announced the OverDrive and the 486DX2 CPU chips. Computer buyers want greater and greater speed, and one of the most important determinants of com- puter speed is the CPU speed. Consequently, there is ongoing pressure on Intel and other chip companies to turn out faster and faster CPUs.
While CPU speeds have in- creased tremendously, periph- eral speeds have not. Most PCs have a lopsided design
that makes the wisdom of buy- ing ever-faster processors a bit suspect. For example, I have a 486DX-50 on my desk. Let's compare it to a 1984-mod- el XT. Speed benchmarks tell me that my CPU is 68 times faster than the XT's, and it can do floating-point calculations 1214 times faster than the XT. Let's contrast that with anoth- er area of computer technolo- gy—printing.
My laser printer prints about 270 characters per sec- ond (eight pages per minute, about 2000 bytes per page of text), in contrast to the 35-cps Spinwriter I used in 1984. As a result of the improvement in printer technology, my system is able to print about eight times faster than the XT.
Now consider mass stor- age. The XT's hard disk had a seek time of about 90 ms and a data transfer rate of about 150K per second. My more modern PC (which was, by the way, less expensive in 1993 dollars than the XT was in the more valuable 1984 dollars) has an access time of 8.9 ms and a data transfer rate of 1575K per second. Both print- ing and mass storage technol- ogy have gone through approx- imately a tenfold improvement over the past decade.
In short, the newer PC has an engine that can put out about 70 times the horsepow- er, but its tires — the printer and hard disk— can only let it drive about 10 times faster. If we were looking to make a fast- er PC, we'd be better off if we got a disk drive with a 1.4-ms access time and a data trans- fer rate of about 10MB per sec- ond, and a printer that turns out 100 pages per minute.
Before you point out that you have a disk drive that shows a 0.4-ms access time and a data transfer rate of 6MB per second, look again. If your disk drive reports those statistics, then it probably has
been equipped with some kind of cache. Caches render the results of disk benchmark programs nonsensical.
If you want your computer to be faster, you should be spending your money on fast- er peripherals rather than fast- er CPUs. Having gotten that out of the way, however, let's see what your options are for getting faster CPUs into an ex- isting system.
The best-known options are the Intel clock-doubling chips mentioned earlier They are on- ly usable in existing 486DX sys- tems. As Intel built faster and faster CPUs, it became a vic- tim of its own success. Why? A system's motherboard must run at the CPU's speed. The difficulty of building mother- boards increases exponential- ly as speeds rise, so moving from 12-MHz motherboards to 25-MHz motherboards is much easier than moving from 25-MHz motherboards to 50-MHz motherboards. Conse- quently, Intel's announced in- tention back in 1989 to offer a 100-MHz 486DX "soon" caused engineers to worry. Could they build a 100-MHz system to wrap around the new chip?
The answer to this conun- drum seemed to be a clock doubler — a chip that could run at high speeds but on slow motherboards. It accom- plished this by communicat- ing with the outside world (the motherboard) at one speed, then performing internal oper- ations at twice that speed.
For example, the first of these chips released was the Intel 486DX2-50, which commu- nicates with a motherboard at 25 MHz but operates internal- ly at 50 MHz. Specifically, an operation that does not re- quire outside data access, such as adding two numbers that are already contained in the processor's registers (regis- ters are very small areas of
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memory in the CPU), executes at 50 MHz. An operation that requires outside access, such as writing or reading infor- mation to or from memory (in- cluding the program currently operating), happens at only 25 MHz.
You might think that since a normal CPU constantly access- es memory to read programs and data, most of the opera- tions would end up taking place at 25 MHz, and very few would run at 50 MHz. That would be true except for the ex- istence of a small area of mem- ory called a processor cache (which is generally 8K). Often- used code or data can be kept in the internal cache, al- lowing small programs to run entirely inside the CPU at 50 MHz. (Communication to the external processor cache- tine 64K or 256K of cache re- ferred to in the computer ads — still operates, unfortunately, at 25 MHz.)
The beauty of the DX2 chip is that you can take an exist- ing 25-MHz 486DX, replace the CPU with a 486DX2, and instantly get a speed boost. It won't be a 100-percent speed boost, but the 60- to 80-per- cent improvement you'll see isn't bad. The processors are- n't inexpensive, however. A 50- MHz DX2 costs around $350 (street price) and a 66-MHz DX2 costs around $500.
Don't confuse a 486DX-50 and a 486DX2-50; the DX-50 is a 50-MHz chip that requires a 50-MHz motherboard, while the DX2-50 is a hybrid that runs at 50 MHz internally but only at 25 MHz on the mother- board. The DX2-66 will instant- ly upgrade any 33-MHz 486DX machine. Unfortunate- ly, Intel doesn't offer an up- grade for the DX-50: there is no DX2-100.
For those with 386DX sys- tems, there are clock doubler chips as well, but not from In- tel. These chips come from Cy-
rix, makers of clones of Intel processors. The 386 clock dou- bler comes in two varieties, a 386DX doubler and a 386SX doubler, respectively called the 486DRx2 and the 486SRx2. These are not 486s, and they don't convert your 386 to a 486, no matter what the writing on the outside of the box says. There's no math coprocessor and no 8K cache. There is a 1K cache built into these chips, which helps speed them up. That cache requires a driver to wake it up, so you have to install cache support software along with the chip.
Installing the DRx2 is pretty easy. The 386-to-486 kit comes with a chip puller that makes extracting the old 386 remarkably easy. (I say remark- ably easy because previously I've removed CPUs with a small screwdriver and a lot of patience. You see, you pry up one corner a trifle, then you move on to the next corner and pry it up a trifle, and so on. It works, but the chip pull- er is better.)
What about installing an up- grade for a 386SX, though? Most 386SXs are surface- mount soldered right onto the motherboard, so no chip pull- er will be of help here. Cyrix has packaged its 386SX up- grade with a nifty piggyback package: You needn't remove the old CPU; you need only clip the CPU upgrade right on top of the existing chip. It's pret- ty easy. The result for a 386SX or 386DX is an improvement of about 50 to 80 percent, de- pending on which bench- marks you run. You can find the Cyrix upgrade kits from mail-order houses for about $250-$300, depending on what speed chip you need. At this writing, there are only clock doublers for 16-MHz and 25-MHz 386 systems (you can use the 25-MHz upgrade for 20-MHz systems); if you've
got a 33-MHz system, then you'll have to wait until the 33- MHz clock doubler ships, and if you've got a 40-MHz 386, then you're out of luck, at least for the moment (but keep your eyes open). By the way, in most cases your cur- rent math coprocessor will con- tinue to work fine, if you've got one, but some really old 387DX chips may not work with the doublers. If you've got an old 16-MHz 386 system, call Cyrix to find out if you'll have compatibility problems.
Intel is not letting grass grow under its feet. It will soon ship a clock tripler, accelerat- ing 25-MHz 486 systems to 75 MHz and 33-MHz systems to 99 MHz (the ads will say 100 MHz). Despite the fact that it's a clock tripler, the name of the chip is the 486DX4. I can't wait to pop one in my 33-MHz 486DX server and watch it fly.
There's more to the DX4 than just clock tripling. For one thing, Intel went back to the drawing board and rede- signed much of the chip from scratch, yielding a chip that runs cooler than the DX2. That's particularly important for laptop users: I know of some DX2 laptops that have ac- tually had keys on the key- board melt because of the heat of the processor. Further, the DX4 doesn't have 8K but rather 16K of internal cache.
Should you buy a doubler or a tripler? It depends on what you're doing, and what your system looks like current- ly. If you're doing graphical things, then spending $300 to upgrade to a very fast video card may be a better buy. If you're running Windows on a 4MB machine, then upgrad- ing to 8MB will probably pro- duce better speed improve- ments. But for a kick in raw processing power, it's proba- bly worth getting the doublers. They're reasonably priced and very compatible. O
42 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
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I
Choosing a f\[
v~.ui/iraiiig ci ■ ■ wanted a new computer with a bility, you can rest easy: any x86 chip
■ . V^r blazingly hot central processing you buy today will be able to run your
Chip Can SeeiTI unit (CPU), you just bought one with software.
■ Inters newest record breaker, and all A much harder question to answer
r'fitTinl IPPltPfi was right- Those c!ays are 9°ne- Now, is how fast these chips are when com-
V.VJI ll|JII V.CIHTU, y0(J have tQ face an a|phabet soup of pared to one another. This becomes
- it i chip makers: Advanced Micro especially perplexing given the names
Lit clll VOU HclVe Devices (AMD), Cyrix, Texas that chips go by these days. For
1 % Instruments, and even IBM. Making example, a Cyrix Cx486SLC has 486
tO fJO IS 3Sk matters even more confusing, Intel is in its name, but it acts like a 32-bit 486
i\J \avj 13 C13IY proc|UCjng a bewildering array of only when the data is actually inside
\fr\uvm\f lA/U-if chips. And; as if that weren't bad the chip. For data input and output, it
yOUrSeiT WlTcH enough, there are all these exotic relies on a 16-bit bus. So why bother
chips like the PowerPC and the Alpha, with it? The Cx486SLC is priced and VOU riGGO which just might represent the future marketed to compete not against 7 v.k.**. ofcomputJng i486s. but i386SXs. Cyrix makes no What's a buyer to do? Well, fasten bones about this: The SLC is meant to your seat belt, because we're off on a be today's low-end chip, not a middle- full-speed-ahead journey into the land of-the-road 486 competitor. The newer
Know what
ieed out of your chip, all
The Basics
>x4bbbLuz cnips nave speeas l >0 MHz and a 32-bit external bus.
Another concern many users s 3 that their chip vendors might g i smoke one day because of laws
ers give their chips names that make chip makers are becoming more com-
them sound compatible with Intel monr it's unlikely that any of the major
chips. But how do you know that the vendors will be driven out of business.
x86 chips from all these vendors will Most of the judicial battles have been
really be compatible with your DOS won by the smaller companies, and
and Windows programs? I was unable there's little to show that the trend
to find solid claims of any major pro- might reverse.
gram or operating system failing on Cyrix will continue to make Intel-
anv of the non-Intel chins. In mv test- compatible CPUs. Intel, in the face of
By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
ss&r*
PFW .
agreed in February to a settlement. While Intel may yet appeal some of the decisions that have gone against it, it now seems clear that Cyrix will be in the x86 chip business for the long haul.
Good Chips, Good Decisions
If you're like most PC buyers, you're probably asking yourself, "How can I pick the right CPU?" There is no right or wrong CPU. The only question is whether the chip you select will deliv- er the performance you require. But before we talk about chips, you have to realize that the CPU is oniy part of the story. Overall system performance should concern you more than CPU performance.
Before you go out and buy a sys- tem, get all the information you can on its overall track record. Remember that a computer can perform only as fast as its slowest component. The components that can make a comput- er look like either a snail or a lightning bolt are the video card and the hard disk; their speeds vary the most.
A standard benchmark for video card performance is the WinMark. It's possible to cheat on the WinMark (some video card manufacturers are alleged to have built in circuitry that checks to see whether WinMark is
running and, if it is, generates impres- sive results), so the numbers generat- ed by the test aren't foolproof. Also, there are different versions of WinMark available, which might gen- erate different ratings. But generally, a rating above 12 million would indicate a fast video card, and a rating below 8 million would indicate a card with dismal performance. More and more, manufacturers are installing slow v.ideo to keep system prices low. Watch out for that practice.
You don't want to buy a hard disk with an access time of 40 millisec- onds or above. When you buy a sys- tem, get the fastest hard disk avail- able and install caches to speed it up even more. Generally, disk compres- sion doesn't appreciably change a hard disk's performance.
You will want to buy a system with an EISA expansion bus and probably a VL-bus (VESA local bus) or PCI bus (Intel local bus) unless your work doesn't depend on a high-speed bus.
You'll want to buy a system with the fastest RAM available that you can afford. Even very fast RAM might have trouble keeping up with the hottest CPUs available, and for that reason, you should also look for systems with secondary caches of very fast memo-
ry— a cache of 256K is a minimum.
A good system is like a good team: It must be made up of good individual performers. A hot CPU will chill out if it's part of a low-performing team. But once you've made sure your system has what it takes, it's time to choose a CPU, and that's what this feature is about. The broad range of chips can generally be broken down into low-end, middle- of-the-road, and hot performers. We'll cover each of these in turn.
The Low End
A 486 may be nice, but when your bank account is more important than your megaflops (a measure of CPU speed expressed in millions of floating- point operations per second), a 386 computer can still fill the bill. Here, your choices come down to Intel, AMD, and a pair of low-end Cyrix chips.
Intel still offers its 386DX and 386SX chips, but the real winner here is AMD. AMD's 40-MHz Am386DX-40 and Am386DXL-40 are the fastest 386 chips on the market. You'll find the Am386DX-40 in desktop machines, while the DXL, which uses only 3.3 volts of electricity, is usually found in laptops.
You might also want to consider systems with a Cyrix Cx486SLC. It comes in speeds of up to 33 MHz. In
some ways, this chip is an odd duck. It's a perfect fit for an i386SX socket, but internally, it works like an i486SX. Unfortunately, although manufacturers find building a system around the Cx486SLC simple because of its 386SX compatibility, these systems are stuck with the 386SX's slow 16-bit external data bus.
Inside the Cx486SLC (and its low- powered laptop brother, the Cx486SLCe), there's a 32-bit data path and a 1K internal cache. It's a tiny cache, but it does improve the Cx486SLC's performance. The chip includes the entire i486SX instruction set. Nor is the Cx486SLC a mere i486SX copy internally. It goes beyond the i486SX by including its own caching and power management instructions.
While the Cx486SLC doesn't com- pare well against the 486SX in terms of performance, it's another story when comparing it to the 386. Here, the top-of-the-line 33-MHz Cx486SLC fares well against the fastest Intel and AMD 386 chips.
The next Cyrix chip family, the Cx486DLC, zips past the 386 chips. Although it's pin compatible with a 386DX socket, the Cx486DLC comes with an i486SX instruction set with 32-
bit internal and external data paths and a 1K cache. Like the i486SX, the Cx486DLC doesn't have a math coprocessor. While the Cx486DLC blows the doors off 386DX chips, it's more of a dead heat between the Cx486DLC and the 486SX family.
The bottom line on these low-end chips is that the DLC demands your attention for fast 386-level perfor- mance. If cost is a serious issue, the AMD 386 or the Cx486SLC should be your first choice.
The Middle of the Road
Did you ever think you'd see the day when an Intel 33-MHz 486DX would be thought of as an average chip? That day is here. Still, even power users shouldn't overlook the i486 family. With the exception of such advanced oper- ating systems as NextStep and Windows NT, aimost no software seri- ously pushes the limits of a fast 486.
Any discussion of 486s must start with the Intel family. These chips, with their internal and external 32-bit data buses and 8K caches, still define today's computing. The i486DX CPUs range from 25 MHz to 50 MHz. The 33-MHz i486DX is by far the most popular member of the family. This is because of the perception that the 25-
MHz i486DX is too slow for the jobs requiring a 486. The 50-MHz model suffers from overheating to this day. In addition, Intel is swinging its empha- sis for high-end computing from the 50-MHz chips to the Pentium.
Edging in on Intel's territory, AMD and Cyrix are now serious contenders in the 486 wars as well.
AMD led the assault on the i486. For years, Intel and AMD have slugged it out in court. One legal chal- lenge has to do with whether AMD can use Intel microcode; the other challenge is whether AMD can pro- duce 486s using clean-room tech- niques. In clean-room engineering, engineers produce a chip that's simi- lar to the original but not based on the original design. Rather than cloning the chip, the clean-room engineers try to create a chip that reproduces the original chip's actions and reactions. Intel's contention is that AMD doesn't have the right to do either.
Despite Intel's opinion, AMD will soon have not one, but two, full lines of 486 chips: one using Intel micro- code and the other using code creat- ed using clean-room techniques. If Intel wins its suit claiming that AMD has no right to use its microcode in its 486DX chips, AMD will be prepared to
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switch its 486DX to code developed using clean-room techniques.
Today, there is an AMD alternative to virtually all i486 chips. For the J486DX-33, there's the Am486DX-33; for the i486SX-33, there's the Am486SX-33; and so on. The only Intel CPU for which AMD has yet to develop a direct competitor is the J486DX-50 chip.
In addition to the Intel twins, AMD also makes several chips that don't have Intel counterparts: the 40-MHz Am486 CPU family. In this group, you'll find both SX and DX versions. AMD also makes low-voltage chips that use an SMM compatible with Microsoft APM-aware applications (APM and SMM are explained in the sidebar titled "Chiptionary"). Some of these chips, like the 33-MHz Am486DXLV (pin compatible with the i486DX-33) can be powered down to a complete stop without losing data. Clearly, these chips will soon be pop- ping up in laptops and green (envi- ronmentally friendly) PCs.
AMD is taking the offensive in the 486 wars. Compaq, the second- largest manufacturer of IBM-compati- ble PCs, is expected to be making systems built around AMD chips by the time you read this.
The Cyrix Cx486S series is pin compatible with the i486SX, and in most ways the Cx486S chips work just like their Intel equivalents. The most important difference, however, is that the Cx486S has only a 2K internal cache (the i486SX has an 8K internal cache). On the plus side, Cyrix's chips can slow down to a dead stop without losing information. This makes the Cx486S a natural for laptop vendors. Cyrix, like AMD also has a 40-MHz i486SX-style chip for which Intel has no equivalent.
Cyrix also makes 486DX chips. The Cyrix Cx486DX50, Cx486DX40, and Cx486DX33 have 32-bit data paths and 8K caches just like their Intel coun- terparts.
Double Time
The newest trend in 486s is the clock doubler. This is a chip that transmits and receives data at one speed and processes data internally at another speed that's twice the input/output speed. For example, a 25/50-MHz i486DX2 takes in and sends out data at 25 MHz. Inside the same chip, the data is processed at 50 MHz.
Once more, Intel leads the way in chip progress. The company's i486DX2 comes in models that run at 25/50 MHz and 33/66 MHz. Like their DX brothers, these chips come with 8K caches, built-in FPUs (see the sidebar titled "Chiptionary"), and 32-bit data paths. If you want Intel reliability and a strong processor, the 33/66-MHz i486DX2 demands your attention.
By the time you read this, AMD and Cyrix will each have a DX2 chip. This time, though, they're not the only major players Texas Instruments (Tl) and IBM are also in this round.
AMD offers both 25/50 and 33/66-MHz proces- sors. AMD is also developing a 486SX- style clock dou b I e r — t h e Am486SX2-50. With the ex- ception of this last chip t h e
AMD models look and act like the equivalent Intel chips.
Cyrix also has its clock dou biers in 25/50 and 33/66 brands. The Cx486DX2s differ from Intel's and AMD's in two ways First, the Cyrix chips use 8K write-back caches. In write- back caches the tiny cache holds data until the system is re"
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atively idle before committing the data to main memory or disk. This results in a small but per- ceptible performance boost. The other difference is that Cyrix claims its built-in FPU is faster than those used in equiva- lent 486s.
Texas In- struments, building on Cyrix's technolo- gy, has i t s
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own clock-doubling 486s: the 486SXLC2s. These chips, like the Cx486SLC, fit into 386SX sockets and use the 486SX instruction set. The important difference here is that the SXLC2 has an 8K cache. This chip comes in 20/40-MHz and 25/50-MHz flavors.
The SXLC is not the end of the Tl 486 story. Tls Rio Grande project will produce chips that combine the 25/50-MHz TI486SXLC2's core with a memory controller and a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local- bus controller. Throw in low power consumption and size, and Tl should establish the standard high-end chip for notebook and laptop computing for the rest of the year.
IBM has the fastest 486-style CPU of all. The company's Blue Lightning chip is a clock-tripling microproces- sor. To communicate with the rest of the computer, the Blue Lightning runs at 33 MHz, but internally, it blasts along at 99 MHz. In addition, the Blue Lightning has a 16K cache — twice as large as those of its competitors.
The Blue Lightning has only one dis- advantage: It doesn't come with a
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built-in math coprocessor. Still, if your applications don't need FPU power, a Blue Lightning-equipped PC is the cur- rent 486 power champ. Its reign may not last long, though. AMD will soon enter the lists with its own clock-tripling CPU, and Intel plans to release a clock tripler called (confusingly enough) the DX4. The DX4 will be available in 75-, 83-, and 100-MHz speeds.
The Replaceable;
Not everyone can afford to buy a new computer every time the industry has a new champion. If you're in that situ- ation, you're in luck. Cyrix offers sev- eral upgrade chips, and there's always the shimmering promise of Pentium upgradability.
The CxDRx2 gives users a single- chip solution for upgrading 386DX computers. This clock-doubled 486 CPU fits into the 386 socket and brings with it 32-bit addressing and a 1K cache. The closest relative to this chipistheCx486DLC,
These chips can give 16-, 20-, and 25-MHz 386DXs new life. The Cyrix CPUs run internally at twice the speed of the chips they're replacing. Unfortunately, while Cyrix will be bring- ing out 386DX replacement chips, there are no current plans for 33- or 40-MHz 386SX replacement CPUs.
The replacement chips that most people know about are Intel's OverDrive chips. An OverDrive chip boosts a standard 486SX or 486DX to 486DX2 performance and speeds. Also promised is a next-generation OverDrive chip based on Pentium tech- nology that will boost 486DX and 486DX2 systems to new performance levels.
Also coming from Intel is a Pentium upgrade chip for 486 machines with special Pen- tium upgrade sockets. The chip is currently called the P24T, and it is expected to run at speeds up to 100 MHz. System buyer beware: Many systems with Pentium upgrade sockets will not
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be able to use the new chip because of system design. Intel has started an Intel Compatibility Lab to certify sys- tems as P24T-ready. The chip is expected to be a fully functioning Pentium except that it will have a 32- bit data bus instead of the Pentium's standard 64-bit data bus. Is the rumored 486 OverDrive chip the same thing as the chip now known as the P24T? Only time will telL
The High End
At the high end, the Intel Pentium stands alone, at least for now. The Pentium, with its 60- to 66-MHz clock speed, runs much faster than any other chip in the x86 family. Pentiums with speeds of 90 and 100 MHz should be appearing as you read this. But pure MHz numbers tell only part of the story. The Pentium's advanced design, with its superscalar
architecture, dual 8K caches, and two integer execution units, breaks all for- mer x86 architecture speed records. How good is it? With plain, old soft- ware, a 66-MHz Pentium is almost twice as fast as an i486DX2-66. Give the Pentium some software that's been optimized for it, and it will leave the other xB6 chips in the dust.
Recent releases from Intel describe the 90- and 100-MHz Pentiums as the most powerful chips on the market. The 66-MHz Pentium is expected to be the midrange CPU in a year, and the clock-tripled DX4 will be the standard for mobile computing. These same releases speak tantaliz- ingly of a P6, a new high-end chip to replace the Pentium.
Roaring up to challenge the Pentium is AMD's clock-tripled 486 and Cyrix's M1 chip (at the time this is being prepared, M1 is the code name
Microscope on CPUs
What are the features to bear in mind when selecting a PC based on its CPU or when selecting a CPU for an upgrade? AMD spokesperson David Frink and Cyrix spokesperson Katherin Dockerill list the following.
• Price
• Speed
• Internal bus width
• External bus width
• Size of internal cache
• Clock doubling
• Microcode
• Compatibility
AMD and Cyrix have based their success on undercutting Intel prices and matching the speed of Intel chips, internal and external bus widths are determined by the requirements of your system. Remember, though, that 386SX chips have 32-bit internal buses and 16-bit external buses. The 386DX and all 486 chips have 32-bit inter- nal and external buses. "An 8K inter- nal cache is considered an industry standard [for 486s]," Frink says. Although some 386 replacement chips have 1K internal caches, you should always make sure a 486 chip has an 8K (or larger) internal cache.
By the time you read this, AMD will have released a clock-doubled Am486SX-50 chip that is expected to drive the cost of 486SX systems to the current level of 386 systems while giving them processor speeds that can compete with 486DX chips, Intel is expected to introduce a simi- lar chip iate in the spring. But don't count the 386 out yet. AMD sold 1 .5
million 386 chips in the last quarter of 1 993 and expected to sell another 1 .5 million in the first quarter of 1994.
Another interesting development is the clock-doubled version of AMD's 40-MHz chips, providing 80- MHz performance.
Microcode refers to the hard- wired instructions within the CPU— the software that tells the chip what to do with the information it receives.
Compatibility comes last be- cause chip makers ensure that their chips are completely compatible with those of industry leader Intel before they leave the design stage. "People don't buy a system based on the internal workings of the CPU but based on whether it runs soft- ware," Frink says.
The AMD K5 chip (the Pentium competitor) will operate on 3.3 volts and feature a static clock, which means that the chip can literally shut itself down without data loss in be- tween keystrokes, or any other time it's idle. This should significantly reduce power consumption and heat, the twin bugbears of superfast CPUs. The K5 will be based entirely on AMD-developed architecture and microcode.
The Pentium will run x86 code at standard 486 speed; the code must be recompiled with a compiler opti- mized for the Pentium to achieve speeds faster than that. But Cyrix's M1 processor will run existing x86 code at higher speeds without recompiling.
—ROBERT BIXBY
for the Cyrix Pentium challenger; the chip's name could change by the time it's released on the market). AMD is also working on a direct challenger to the Pentium known (at least for now) as the K5. Details on these chips are sketchy at press time, but you can safely assume that the new CPUs will perform at speeds close to the 60-MHz Pentiums, though the manufacturers like to say, "Pentium performance or better." One stated that a 100-MHz Pentium challenger would appear.
Raising the Roof
The x86 family is no longer the only game in town. RISC chips are rushing out from the workstation world to assault the PC's CISC land (RISC and CISC are both explained in the side- bar titled "Chiptionary"). Why, after attempts to enter the PC market that were so feeble that almost no one noticed, are RISC chips now becom- ing a factor in the PC market? The answer is Windows NT. Windows NT is a PC user-friendly operating system that doesn't run just on PCs.
Leading the way is the Alpha chip from Digital Equipment Company (DEC). The Alpha 21064 can run as fast as 200 MHz (DEC has promised even higher speeds to come). In addi- tion to speed, it offers 64-bit internal and external buses and a 16K internal cache. The Alpha is simply the fastest PC chip in the land. It won't run stan- dard DOS, but a special form of Windows NT has been written for the Alpha, and you can run DOS software under Windows NT, so an Alpha machine could be considered as an alternative to a standard PC (though a very expensive one).
A company named MIPS is also demanding attention with its R4000 series. The 64-bit R4000 chips can run as fast as 150 MHz and have up to a 32K internal cache. You may never have heard of MIPS, but its chips have what it takes to make an impact on at least the network server side of the PC world. Nintendo plans to use MIPS chips in its high-end game machines starting in 1995, so you may encounter them there, if nowhere else.
As fast and powerful as the Alpha and the R4000 are, the chip that really has the Intel-bound contingent of PC users talking is the PowerPC. This chip family has the backing of three of the PC's superpowers: Apple, IBM, and Motorola.
The PowerPC 601, the first of the series, will soon be appearing in shops everywhere as the heart of the new PowerPC Macintoshes. This chip boasts a 32K cache, 64-bit internal
50 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
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APM. Advanced Power Manage- ment. APM is an Intel/Microsoft application program interface (API) that enables programs to slow down a computer's components when they aren't needed.
CISC. Complex Instruction Set Computer. This kind of chip, like all the Intel processors and Motorola's 680x0 chips, has a large number of instructions embedded into the microcode. This makes the chips easier to program for, but their com- plex designs are harder to upgrade.
clock doubler. Some chips, known as clock doubters, take data in and out at one speed but process the data inside the chip at double that speed. The advantage is that CPU-intensive programs, like graph- ics, run much faster. The newer clock triplers go even faster by running internally at triple their I/O speeds.
external cache. The external cache is also known as the L2 cache. You probably know that caches, like SMARTDrive, hold data in memory so that your CPU can get to it faster than by going to your hard drive or floppy drive. You may not know that main memory itself is not fast enough to keep up with your CPU's never-ending hunger for data. To feed your CPU the data it needs, many computer manufactur- ers put in small amounts of very fast — and expensive — RAM that
Chiptionary
stores data for quicker access by the CPU. Typically, external caches are 128K to256K in size.
FPU. See math coprocessor.
Internal cache. The internal cache is also known as the L1 cache. Some chips have a tiny amount of very fast RAM on the chips themselves. This internal cache RAM, typically from 1K to 16K, holds data and instructions from main memory. By storing this data in ultrafast memory within the CPU, the chip is able to work more efficiently.
math coprocessor. Math co- processors, also known as floating- point units (FPUs), quickly perform math calculations that normal CPUs don't do well. To make these float- ing-point calculations zoom, you need either a chip with a. math coprocessor built in (like the i486DX) or a math coprocessor chip (such as the i387) to work in tandem with your main CPU. One note of caution: Math coprocessors do not. normally help spreadsheet or finan- cial software; graphics and CAD/CAM programs (like AutoCAD) benefit from a math coprocessor.
microcode. A chip's basic operating instructions.
pin compatible. A chip is said to be pin compatible when its pins will exactly match up with the socket openings for another chip. For
instance, a Cyrix Cx486S is pin compatible with sockets designed for an i486SX CPU.
RISC. Reduced Instruction Set Computer. This kind of chip has a simple design with few microcode instructions, thereby making for more efficient computers. While more diffi- cult to program for than CISC chips, RISC chips can be quickly upgrad- ed. In short, in the race between CISC and RISC for CPU dominance, many designers believe that RISC must eventually win out.
SMM. System Management Mode. Chips with SMM, like the IBM 386SL, can respond to APM instructions,
superscalar. A computing method in which several instructions are run at once on a chip's parallel processors. This is a common tech- nique in RISC designs to speed up calculations.
x-bit architecture. When sales- people talk about a system with 16- bit, 32-bit, or 64-bit architecture, they're referring to the maximum data block size that can be processed by the CPU. With most chips the num- bers are the same. For example, a 286 has a 16-bit data throughput and works internally with 16-bit chunks of data. The 386SX and most Pentium systems don't do this. The 386SX can take in and push out data only in 16- bit pieces, even though the data is processed internally as 32-bit chunks.
and external data buses, and 66-MHz speed. Although comparing CPUs of different types isn't easy (comparing clock speeds alone isn't enough because some chips accomplish more tasks per cycle than others), the 601 seems to improve on the 66-MHz Pentium's performance.
Things will only continue to get faster from there. The big three are already planning faster 601s. The PowerPC 603, with its low power con- sumption, will bring Pentium-level power to laptops. Past that, the 604 will bring even more power to desktop machines by early 1995. About the same time, the 620 will also appear in servers and multiprocessor systems.
Buying Choices
What does it all mean for you? It depends on your needs. There are some things that you can't have. For instance, you can't buy a computer that won't be out-of-date in three years (maybe less). Computers are advanc- ing too fast for anyone to stay on tech-
52 COMPUTE JUNE 1994
nology's ever-sharper leading edge.
If your aim is to get the least expensive computer you can find that will run Windows, machines packing the AMD 40-MHz Am386DX and the Cyrix Cx486SLC and Cx486DLC are worthy contenders for your dollars. Are your favorite applications pro- grams like WordPerfect 5.1, dBASE IV 2.0, and Lotus 1-2-3 2.2? If so, con- sider any of the Intel and AMD 386DXs. A machine with a 386SX at its heart is now at the end of its useful lifespan, and it's not a good buy.
If you have a few thousand dollars earmarked for your next computer, con- sider a machine with a 33-MHz Intel 486DX, a 40-MHz 486DX, or any of the clock-doubled AMD, Intel, or Cyrix chips. You may want to avoid chips that don't include FPUs. Most of the time, you're not likely to use an FPU, but they sure are handy when you do need them. Some high-end design programs make extensive use of the FPU and may slow to a crawl without it.
At the high end, the Pentium almost
has to be your choice today. The 66- MHz Pentium is more valuable than the 60-MHz, and its price should be drop- ping by the time you read this. Even the 100- and 90-MHz Pentiums will proba- bly come down in price in a year or so.
That's the safe solution. If you want to live more dangerously, go with a brand-new 100-MHz Pentium, a Cyrix M1, or an AMD K5. You can be the first in your town to boldly go where no computer user has gone before.
For the truly adventurous, the RISC chips beckon. If looking for a server is the name of your game, both the MIPS and the DEC chips are real pos- sibilities. The PowerPCs, with their ability to run almost any microcomput- er operating system in existence today, also look like winners, Mac- intosh users will have little choice about switching over to RISC, since all future Macs will be PowerPC based. That may not be a bad deal though, and PC users should consid- er PowerPCs of their own. The future of computing is now. □
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