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From: johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: 486SX - Intel now telling lies
Message-ID: <9105241448.AA14412@iecc.cambridge.ma.us>
Date: 24 May 91 18:48:58 GMT
References: <1991May15.210339.17118@unlv.edu> <1561@aoa.UUCP> <1991May23.205937.25386@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
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In-Reply-To: <1991May24.152912.1601@rodan.acs.syr.edu>

In article <1991May24.152912.1601@rodan.acs.syr.edu> you write:
>   I have just received email indicating a claim that the new intel 486-sx
>will not be pin compatible with existing 486's.  ...

Given the existence of the so-called 487SX, the 486SX cannot be pin
compatible with a 486.  Remember that the 487SX is in fact an entire 486
which takes over from the 486SX; you could probably throw away the 486SX when
you install a 487SX.  But, the 487SX is very expensive, considerably more
than a real 486.  If the 486SX were pin compatible with the 486, then one
could skip the overpriced 487SX and instead install a real 486 to get
floating point.

I expect we should be seeing 486 to 486SX adapter sockets soon.  I'd also
hope but not expect that board vendors that use the 486SX would not put on a
487SX socket but rather a real 486 socket.  There's no reason that they have
to cooperate in Intel's "value pricing" shenanigans.

Regards,
John Levine, johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl