Despite doing a version of its Prime Information software onto the EXL Unix range recently (CI No 1,495), Prime has not given up on its proprietary 50 Series minis running Primos, and yesterday launched the the first two machines in a new Series 5000 to replace the Models 4050 and 4150. The new machines, available immediately, are the 5320 and 5340, which use a CPU based on three 50,000 gate CMOS arrays integrating all CPU logic apart from control store and cache, with the entire system (excluding input-output controllers) fitting on a single board, compared with up to seven boards for the older systems. The 5320, with 16Mb to 192Mb memory supports up to 128 users, while the 5340 with 32Mb to 192Mb memory takes up to 256 users. Mass storage of up to 30.3Gb is supported and the machines come with an SCSI 2 controller. They come in a new No Trade-In Required modular packaging which means that processors and other units can be field-upgraded to new models indefinitely. UK prices start at UKP55,000 for the 5020, and UKP110,000 for the 5340; shipping now.
