Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ames!ncar!mailrus!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!seeger
From: seeger@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Charles Seeger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Looking for a good, cheap 386
Summary: Micronics 386 slow DMA
Message-ID: <17340@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Date: 30 Aug 88 15:14:31 GMT
References: <5607@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> <5289@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <148@carpet.WLK.COM>
Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU
Reply-To: seeger@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Charles Seeger)
Organization: UF EE Department
Lines: 37
Distribution:

In article <148@carpet.WLK.COM> bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) writes:
>>In article <5607@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> phco@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (John Miller) writes:
>>>I'm looking for a good low-end 386 box in the $3000-4000 range.  
>>>If you have any good suggestions, please let me know.  
>>>                        John Miller  (ecsvax!phco)
>
>In article <5289@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
	slin@cory.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Steven Philip Lin) writes:

>>Micronics Computers, Inc. makes a good 386 motherboard.  They sell both AT
>>and Baby-AT (fits in XT case) sized motherboards.  They're fairly reputable
>>and provide good technical support.  [ sales standing ]

Our department has just set up a PC Lab for undergraduates with 16 386 PCs.
(with the processors donated from Intel - thanks!).  All have Micronics
motherboards.  I'm not involved with setting them up, but I do know that
the DMA channels failed all but the slowest speed test in Fastback.  I
personally wouldn't be happy with this, but perhaps we got especially
cheap versions.  CHECK on this before you buy.

At home, I personally have a 386 motherboard from Join Data Technology.
They are a Taiwan outfit.  You can find there address in Computer Shopper.
This board passes all the DMA tests, has a 387 socket (mine is used), uses
interleaved page mode dRAMs, is XT form factor, and uses the Chips &
Technology chipset.  I recommend a board based on this chipset - when
relocating the BIOS to RAM, it does it before the memory check (and is
very fast) while the Micronics seems to do this after the memory check.
So far the board works, but I've only used DOS 3.3 so far.  BTW, it runs
at 20/16 MHz (without a hitch) but uses a 16 MHz spec 386.  That choice
is up to you (i.e. whether to pay for the 20 MHz spec 386).

Whatever you do, be sure to get a fast, 1:1 interleave disk controller.
I have a Western Digital 1006 RAH and am happy with it.  However, WD
stands for "Without Documentation," so you'll have to call WD to get
it.  My disk is the Seagate 277R, which is OK if you're really pinching
pennies.

Chuck