Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ogicse!emory!stiatl!tok
From: tok@stiatl.UUCP (Terry Kane)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Upgrading from 286 to 386SX
Message-ID: <303@stiatl.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jan 91 19:14:49 GMT
References: <1991Jan8.140547.22430@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Organization: Sales Technologies Inc.  Atlanta, Ga.
Lines: 20

kamal@wpi.WPI.EDU (Kamal Z Zamli) writes:
>I have a baby 286 computer with three 8 bit slots, and five 16 bit slots.
>I'm planning to upgrade my 286 to a 386SX. The problem I have is that 
>most 386SX motherboard have only one 8 bit slot, which means I got to get rid
>off all three of my 8 bit cards from my 286. ( modem, IO card,disk drive 
>controller ).

No, you most certainly do not need to get rid of your 8 bit cards.  You can
just plug them straight into 16 bit slots, losing only the notion of 16
bit speed.

The only card that you'd probably care to replace with a 16 bit card is
the disk controller - for the hard drives' access speed.  (And you _may_
not care to do that; I don't _know_ that you'll see a significant
performance boost without going to a really fast drive!)

The other cards are not generally available in 16 bit versions - so by all
means, upgrade your motherboard.  But why not go on to a 386 Dx?  These
days the prices are falling so rapidly that you can probably spend as much
now on a 25 Mhz 386dx, as you would have on a 16 Mhz 386sx three months ago!