Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!bionet!ames!amdahl!pacbell!att!cbnewsc!wolfordj
From: wolfordj@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (j.w.wolford)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: WANTED: info on 386-25 system board replacements
Message-ID: <4548@cbnewsc.ATT.COM>
Date: 6 Nov 89 21:36:37 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 35

I would like to get a new system board (mother board for those who still
use "gender")...to do multi-tasking with DESQview and such...

I have the following request list, but is there anything else I should
consider:

1 - Processor and chips marked at rated speed (ie not 20Mhz parts at 25Mhz)
2 - Coprocessor slot for 80287/80387 (ok if it has Weitek, but I won't use it
	287 for now because a 387 is $450-500... and I don't need anything
	faster than a 10Mhz 287 for now (that does not mean I don't want a 387)
3 - Bus speed, for a 386's this usually 8Mhz... but
4 - Being able to enable/disable shadow RAM... Have heard problems with
	this with non-DOS operating systems
5 - System board memory...amount, speed, type (DIP, SIMM, SIPP), 256K, 1M
	anywhere from 4MB to 8MB maxed.
6 - 32bit wide memory bus slot... again, amount and type
	2-8MB per board.
7 - BIOS - AMI requested for configuration capability... Pheonix and Award
	acceptable.
8 - Cache....NOT required...32K, 64K, or 128K... Almost doubles the cost
	of the board... is a cache worth that much (I feel its mostly
	marketing hype... it helps, maybe ~20% over a interleaving system.
9 - Number of layers - 6 min, 8 is better for noise.
10- Chipset vs descrete....286 everyone uses a chip-set, but for a 386
	this does not seem as clear cut if one is better than the other.

98- Board size, xt or full size.... does not matter, case takes both.
99- Number of slots (fairly standard...)..


Jeff Wolford					uunet---+
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