According to some Computer Science class notes from the mid 1990s found
here:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cs.utexas.edu%2Fusers%2Fdahlin%2FClasses%2FGradArch%2Fnotes%2Flec3.ps&ei=GQcpRaqwKJTowQKozoGZCw&sig=__UYn2qNuRCi6tCHeKT4QmvAKPUsw=&sig2=BLEvr7YHUEbXBBf9FMw5Ug
a megabyte of 3090 memory cost $19,200. That works out to $0.018311/byte
(1 MB = 1024 * 1024 bytes).
DJ
Gabe Goldberg wrote:
Just because I felt like doing the calculations:
Mitre installed VM/370 on a 1/2 megabyte 370/145 (1973), upgraded to a
one megabyte 370/148 (1975 or so). I handled upgrading both processors'
memories: the 145 by 1/4 megabyte, the 148 by a full (!) megabyte. I
vaguely remember that both upgrades cost about $30,000. It also took a
while to evaluate competing vendors; in both cases we installed non-IBM
add-on memory, an interesting engineering process in itself.
So non-core 145 memory cost $0.11444/byte and 148 memory cost
$0.02861/byte.
Phil Smith III said:
Ok, this is obscure to the max, but: ISTR real core costing $1/byte.
Someone else says:
"$1 a byte was extrordinarily cheap for 1971. Ferrite core was going for
up to $2 per BIT."
Of course, he then goes on to talk about PDPs, so maybe he's talking
about core made in Maynard instead of Mexico...
Anyway: do any of the other old-timers remember anything about this?
