Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!esosun!seismo!uunet!munnari!muller
From: muller@munnari.oz (Paul Muller)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: 80286 ->80386sx ??
Summary: 80386sx
Message-ID: <2690@munnari.oz>
Date: 22 Feb 89 06:05:02 GMT
References: <9221@louie.udel.EDU>
Lines: 24

In article <9221@louie.udel.EDU>, Y087%UNB.CA@CORNELLC.CIT.CORNELL.EDU (Y087000) writes:
> What exactly does this imply? For $89us I can upgrade my 80286 to
> something close to a 80386? I heard the 80386sx is a 'plug and go'
> chip that simply replaces the 80286 on the motherboard. Obviously
> you don't get 32bit addressing, but what else *don't* you get?
> 


The 80386sx is NOT plug compatible with the 80386 or 80286 or any of the
Intel range for that matter.
It supports only 24 address lines (16MB address limit of the '286), and has
only a 16 bit data bus (yes, like the '286), but it is very much different
from there.
Not having seen the Intel spec sheets for it, I cannot say as to whether or
not you can create a 'flying' board that will socket a '386sx into a '286.
It may be possible (unless I have neglected to think of something....) to do
this and effectively have a slow 386 based machine. You would not break land
speed records running at say 8/10Mhz, but you would have the advantage of
a fairly humongous (spel?) 16MB address space and 32 bit regs.

Would anyone from comp.arch care to comment/speculate? I suppose we are
getting very far away from the topic of the newsgroup, and I can see the
net to noise ratio creeping up quickly as I type.....
paul