Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!ico!vail!rcd From: rcd@ico.isc.com (Dick Dunn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: 386SX replacements for 80286 machines Summary: time to make some noise about them? Keywords: whatever happened to them? Message-ID: <1989Nov2.080213.2989@ico.isc.com> Date: 2 Nov 89 08:02:13 GMT References: <786@awdprime.UUCP> Organization: Interactive Systems Corporation Lines: 37 ron@woan.austin.ibm.com (Ronald S. Woan) writes: > Whatever happened to the 386SX modules that could directly replace the > 80286 chip on AT motherboards? I remember hearing that several were > announced, but haven't seen anything about them in the last year... I'm not only curious, but vitally interested...I've got a machine I want to upgrade. MicroWay made a regular (DX) 386 plug-in for ATs. However, it's only for the real blue AT--with the PGA 286 and a particular board layout. I tried to use one in raven, a NEC AT clone but with the PGA CPU, but there was a connector in the way, and stacking chip carriers generated enough {noise, capacitance} that it didn't work. MicroWay said they were making an SX board to upgrade AT clones. It was supposed to be a short bus board with some cache, which probably would be better than an uncached DX. It was supposed to be out in October, so I called them Wed (the 32nd of October:-) to see what happened. They said it had some problems and wouldn't be out until "first quarter of 1990". Ouch! That's 2-5 months. (I don't want to flame MicroWay at all...quite the contrary. They were very helpful in arranging for me to try the board in my machine. They're also the most helpful, competent, and honest/straightforward vendor I've ever dealt with. I'd buy from them in a second if they had what I want now. At least they'll tell me why it isn't there.) Intel has their Inboard, which is a DX replacement board. It's expensive, I think. I don't see them doing anything for an SX replacement. How many people got intel's glitzy ad saying that NOW! is the time to go to a 386, with the notes that the 386SX will make it easy to upgrade to the 386 at 286 prices? I did, and I'd love to do the upgrade. Maybe we should beat up on intel to show us where we can get the upgrades NOW? -- Dick Dunn rcd@ico.isc.com uucp: {ncar,nbires}!ico!rcd (303)449-2870 ...Worst-case analysis must never begin with "No one would ever want..."