bjb@hubcap.clemson.edu (BJ Backitis ) (03/15/90)
Greetings all. I am new to this particular newsgroup, so forgive me if
I am bringing up a controversial or often-asked topic. In fact, please
do not post replies to this group, but e-mail directly (also because I
don't get a chance to read this group often).
I am in the market for a motherboard to build up a system... I haven't
made a final decision between a '286 or a '386/SX (I doubt if I can
afford the $$$ for a full blown '386, and I doubt if I'd really have the
requirements for one either). I've already decided upon (or already
have) such things as controllers, I/O, and video, all of which are AT
compatible and will work on either the '286 or the '386/SX (I've already
checked).
Can anyone out there suggest particular vendor's and boards I may want
to look for? I will be at a "hamfest" (my fellow ham operators will
know what THAT means) which has a lot of dealers which sell computer
equipment -- cases, boards, chips, drives, etc -- and I'd like a few
names to look for (or avoid, for that matter).
The things I am most concerned about in a board would be expansion slots
(8 and 16 bit), good standard design (with Phoenix BIOS or compatibility
with a Phoenix BIOS chip set), compatibility with a 'n87 co-processor
(for some eventual heavier number crunching/CAD stuff), a couple of meg
onboard capacity, and at least 16MHz speed. Shadow RAM for BIOS would
be nice, but not a prime consideration....
Any input would be greatly appreciated... I'm not that familiar with the
ins and outs of these machines (my last REAL experience with PC's still
required booting up from toggle switches on the front panel), but I do
have the background and knowledge of assembling the various necessary
components. The question is component selection!
Thanks in advance.
BJ
--
BJ Backitis (KM4RB) | BJB@CLEMSON.BITNET | "There are a great many
Info. Systems Development | BJB@HUBCAP.CLEMSON.EDU | people in this country
Clemson Univ. Division of | {...}!emory!hubcap!bjb | who, through no fault of
Comp. & Info. Technology | All usual disclaimers | own, are sane."