[ale] No RAM = No BIOS?

[mike at trausch.us]

On 08/16/2012 09:02 AM, JD wrote:
> I think the GPU uses part of the RAM for video memory, so there's no way to
> drive the screen without it. There might be a really weak speaker, but I don't
> recall a speaker connector to the case. Hummmmm, perhaps if I connect an
> external speaker ... too much work to get at the RAM at this point.

Most current ones "borrow" against system RAM, yes.

But before the "modern era" of video cards, they still had a dependency
on RAM for proper functionality, starting around the era of the 286 or
386 or so---about the time that systems started storing primitive memory
maps in RAM.

Memory-mapped IO also depends on the existence of memory, in that
hardware MMIO uses the address bus, and the address bus can't be used
initially without having at least a minimum amount of RAM to address;
that said, I couldn't tell you what the bare minimum is, but it's far,
far less than we are capable of installing in hardware today.  :-)

	--- Mike

-- 
A man who reasons deliberately, manages it better after studying Logic
than he could before, if he is sincere about it and has common sense.
                                   --- Carveth Read, “Logic”

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