Am 03.08.2011 19:40, schrieb s.day:
> clipka<ano### [at] anonymousorg>  wrote:
>>
>> The image was most likely rendered on a 386 DX-40 machine (without
>> mathematical co-processor), using /some/ DOS version of POV-Ray
>> (presumably 2.0). As for the rendering time, I just recall it to have
>> been /awfully/ long.
>
> I thought the DX machines were the ones with the co-processor, my first PC was a
> 386 SX-33 and I remember complaining to the person who built it as I had asked
> for a DX with a co-processor and 4MB of memory. I remember him saying nothing
> has been written to use the co-processors so he did not think there was any
> point in adding one. Also asking me why I needed 4MB of memory, he obviously was
> not aware of POV-Ray.

The 386 processors did not feature an on-die coprocessor yet; AFAIR, the 
SX/DX designation specified the size of the data bus (full 32 bit in the 
DX, multiplexed 2x16 bit in the SX) for this CPU generation.

The first x86 CPU with on-die coprocessor was the 486, with the SX/DX 
designation indeed specifying whether the integrated coprocessor was 
enabled (DX) or disabled (SX, possibly dies with a defective coprocessor 
unit).

(Fun fact: The corresponding chip to upgrade a 486-SX system - the 80487 
- was *not* a coprocessor after all, but essentially a full-fledged 
486-DX CPU instead, which would take over full control of the system, 
disabling the system's mounted 486-SX.)

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