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From: woan@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Ronald S. Woan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 286 vs. 386sx
Summary: allows you to run 386 software!
Message-ID: <10634@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 3 Mar 89 07:18:40 GMT
References: <1215PICHER@MAINE>
Sender: news@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU
Reply-To: woan@cory.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Ronald S. Woan)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 30

In article <1215PICHER@MAINE> PICHER@MAINE.BITNET (Michael W. Picher) writes:
>Could somebody possibly sum up the advantages of using a 386sx over
>say a 20 MHz 286???  Can they 387 be used at high speeds with the
>386sx??

Well, the quick and dirty answer is that the 386sx allows you to run 386
specific software that is becoming a little more prolific.  For example, you
could run windows/386 or the Desqview 386 utilities.  The '386 architecture
has quite a few extra commands and a more powerful mmu.  It also has a mode
that allows operating systems set up virtual 640k DOS sessions easily (I
think Desqview takes advantage of this).

What's the downside? It costs more to build a '386sx box than a '286 box
because the chip generally costs more.  By the way the '387sx is generally
used in conjunction with '386sx and not the regular '387 because the '387
requires a bigger databus, like the '386 itself.

							Cheers,
							Ron

P.S. if anyone finds a decent '386sx replacement module
for the '286, let me know. I can't bear to scrap my
current system, so will buy a new '386 or RISC box this year,
but would love to upgrade anyway.


|  "This whole right brain, left brain thing is just a plot on the part        |
|   of the humanities depart. to excuse their never having learned any science"|
|   Roger Dell, Prof. of Mathematics                                           |
|                                        Ronald Woan, woan@cory.berkeley.edu   |