Solution 13561: Function Speed Differences in the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition and the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition.
Why does my new TI-84 Plus Silver Edition seem to be significantly slower than my old TI-83 Plus Silver Edition?
The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition and TI-84 Plus Silver Edition are almost alike. This means that they both use the same processor running at the same clock speed, and have the same amounts of RAM and Flash ROM. There are 4 things that set a TI-84 Plus Silver Edition apart from a TI-83 Plus Silver Edition:• Redesigned keys and calculator exterior
• Removable faceplates
• Preloaded flash applications
• USB-on-the-go port The last 2 differences on that list may account for the slow-down in the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition. The TI-84 Plus Silver Edition features more preloaded apps. When all of those apps are loaded on the calculator, available memory is reduced, and the calculator slows. This can be alleviated by removing some of the apps.
Also, the USB port on the calculator requires several routines to check for devices, manage power, and manage communication. This comes at the expense of some processor power (since some of those resources go to those extra routines in the software). Unfortunately, at the moment, there is no work-around for this. It is possible that future OS releases may increase performance in this and other areas.
Please see the TI-83 family and TI-84 Plus family guidebooks for additional information.