We have known Texas Instruments since a long, long time ago (actually since the ‘50s). They started to produce consumer electronics in the ‘60s. Now, they are among the greatest companies of the world, even going as far as being considered as one of the most ethical companies in the world due to their professionalism. When you need a decent calculator, their products are usually the primary considerations. On this article, we will discuss about two Texas Instruments graphing calculators, TI 85 and TI 83. A lot of people are seemingly confused between these two products, so we will try to help you decide which one is better.
First of all, don’t be fooled by the numbers in their names. Texas Instruments TI 85 came out first, before Texas Instruments TI 83. TI 85 was released in 1992 while TI 83 was in 1996. So, if you expect to look for higher specifications in one of the two products, you can expect that from TI 83 instead of TI 85. And the expectation is proven to be true, at least in some area. Well, they both rely on Zilog Z80 6 MHz to do their computations, so, from this aspect alone, we can say that they have similar processing speed. However, TI 83 is armed with bigger RAM capacity than TI 85. TI 83 has 32 KB of RAM while TI 85 only has 28 KB of RAM. As the effect, TI 83 can handle more complex calculations and programs better than TI 85. TI 83 can also contain more programs than TI 85. So, performance-wise, TI 83 is better than TI 85.
Next, both models come with I/O port for connectivity. They do support TI-BASIC and Assembly languages. But, you can only use Assembly on TI 85 by using exploits, while Assembly on TI 83 is fully built-in. Because of that, TI 83 is also a better choice that allows you to perform programming more conveniently. Nevertheless, we should take a note that TI 85 has a larger display screen than TI 83. Both models can show up to 8 lines, but TI 85 is 21-char wide. TI 83 is only 16-char wide, but this should be enough already to provide immense details. Take a look: TI 85 Vs TI 84.
TI 85 Vs TI 83
| Name | TI 85 | TI 83 |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Texas Instruments | Texas Instruments |
| Features | - Up to 99 graphing functions defined, saved, graphed, and simultaneously analyzed - Easy-to-read 8-line by 21-character display - Link capabilities for data transfer through I/O port - Powered by 4 standard AAA batteries with a lithium battery backup | - High contrast display - Many graph styles to choose from - Use side-by-side with the TI-83 - Advanced statistics and finance - Input/Output port |
| Price | ||
| Rating | 2.8 out of 5.0 stars | 4.2 out of 5.0 stars |
| Best deal | Save Money Please click here | Save Money Please click here |
NOTE : Product prices, availability, ratings and save money information are accurate as of the date/time indicated on post time (as seen right bellow the post) and are subject to change. Any price, availability and save money information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Conclusion
TI 83 has more edges than TI 85. The only disadvantage of TI 83 from TI 85 is the shorter display screen, but this is very neglectable for the sake of much better performance and usability. You should choose Texas Instruments TI 83.