Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!chinet!ward
From: ward@chinet.chi.il.us (Ward Christensen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Mother board replacement?
Message-ID: <7319@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 30 Dec 88 04:00:33 GMT
References: <1381@cps3xx.UUCP>
Reply-To: ward@chinet.chi.il.us (Ward Christensen)
Organization: Chinet - Public Access Unix
Lines: 25

In article <1381@cps3xx.UUCP> jhl@frith.egr.msu.edu (John H. Lawitzke) writes:
>I am considering upgrading my current system. I currently have a 
>IBM XT 4.77MHz and am considering going to a 286 box. Has anyone had
>any experience with motherboard replacement as oppossed to accelerator
>cards as oppossed to scrap the box and buy a new one advice. I use
>my machine for recreation and small amounts of consulting, so I'm not
>too interested in investing an amount that I could buy a new car with.
  I recommend the Bullet 286.  It comes in several flavors.  I bought 
one for my 5-slot PC, and upgraded the power supply and added a larger hard
drive (not yet complete).  I have used the Bullet for a couple months, and
really love it.  It included 384K Disk Cache based in ROM, taking only 8K
from the system.  CAUTION: the board can NOT have memory disabled back
below 640K such as to use DesqView.
  The board I got was 8mhz, 0-wait, 5 slot, 0-K for <$300, so add a meg of
memory and voila - not TOO much money, still got your case, power supply,
drives, keyboard, etc.
  I bought it from DP Computers in Salt Lake City.  Others MAY have it
cheaper, but I don't have details.  
  P.S. yes, there ARE XT (8-slot) models - quite a few, various speeds,
etc.  You'll find the SLOWEST at say 8mhz to make your system QUITE
acceptable until you can afford say a 386 "next year". (that was my logic).
You could get MORE power for a few more $$ also.
  P.P.S. the SLOTS still run at 4.77MHz, for compatability, so you won't
get QUITE the performance (say, 1:1 or 1:2 interleave on disk controllers)
that you could get from a "baby AT" type board, probably for more $$.