rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) (02/27/90)
Hello. A friend of mine is planning on purchasing an IBM PC compatible. She
wants a system with:
Approx. 1 Mb. RAM
A modem
A 5 1/4" Floppy Drive
A 20 Mb Hard Drive
Math coprocessor slot
EGA or VGA card and monitor
A dot matrix printer
She has approx. $1500-$2000 to spend on the hardware.
She wants to be able to run Lotus 123, WordPerfect 5.x, Autocad, and
Autocad Animator on the system. Since she wants to run Autocad, and since
I don't want her to end up with a system that will be obsolete a year from now,
I was wondering about the 386sx systems. (Please, no flames from 286
advocates. Information, yes, but no flames)
Since math coprocessors can be quite expensive, she is willing to wait awhile
before getting one. She would also like to have a 3 1/2" drive, as they use
PS/2's (UGH!) at her school.
I was hoping that someone would be willing to give me some suggestions as to
good systems in and near that price range, as well as suggestions as to what
systems to keep away from.
Also, I'd like to know of any compatibility problems in 386sx and 286 clones
out there, especially with the packages I mentioned above (123, WordPerfect,
Autocad, and Animator).
Thanks in advance,
Rodney
//
\\ //
Rodney Ricks, Morehouse College \/
--
"We may have come over here in different ships,
but we're all in the same boat now." -- Jesse Jackson //
\\ //
Rodney Ricks, Morehouse College \/cs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Stephen M. Dunn) (02/28/90)
In article <32379@auc.UUCP> rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) writes:
$ Approx. 1 Mb. RAM
Make sure that you can use the excess RAM how _you_ want to use it - that
is, that you can select it to be expanded or shadow RAM. The EMS part
isn't as important on a 386, since it can do expanded memory through
software only, but if you get a 386, try to get an extended-expanded
mapping driver with the machine. And if you get a 286, make sure you
get the EMS driver for that motherboard!
$ Math coprocessor slot
Virtually all, if not all, motherboards for 286 or better machines
come with this ... in fact, the same applies these days for 8088-based
boards too.
$She wants to be able to run Lotus 123, WordPerfect 5.x, Autocad, and
$Autocad Animator on the system. Since she wants to run Autocad, and since
$I don't want her to end up with a system that will be obsolete a year from now,
$I was wondering about the 386sx systems. (Please, no flames from 286
$advocates. Information, yes, but no flames)
Well, a 16 MHz 386SX is definitely better than a 12 or 14 MHz 286;
for the applications you mention, a 16 or 20 MHz 286 would likely be better
than a 386SX.
$Since math coprocessors can be quite expensive, she is willing to wait awhile
$before getting one. She would also like to have a 3 1/2" drive, as they use
$PS/2's (UGH!) at her school.
I believe that all recent versions of Autocad require a math coprocessor.
--
Stephen M. Dunn cs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca
<std_disclaimer.h> = "\nI'm only an undergraduate!!!\n";
****************************************************************************
I Think I'm Going Bald - Caress of Steel, Rushjdudeck@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (John R. Dudeck) (03/01/90)
In article <25EB37D7.26293@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> cs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Stephen M. Dunn) writes: >In article <32379@auc.UUCP> rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) writes: >$ Math coprocessor slot >$She wants to be able to run Lotus 123, WordPerfect 5.x, Autocad, and >$Autocad Animator on the system. Since she wants to run Autocad, and since One point that can save a lot of money is that some 386 motherboards (such as my X'Golden Baby 386) have TWO math coprocessor slots, one for a low-end 80287-8Mhz, and the other for a high-end 80387. In your case, as mine, a poor college student that wants a math chip, but doesn't necessarily need the highest-powered chip, can get by with the '287, which costs about $189, instead of the '387, which costs about $319 (from Nevada Computer Corp). In any case, if you are going to do CAD you NEED a math chip, even though some, such as Generic CADD will run without one. But without a math chip they are so slow that you will never get your work done, even on a 386 33Mhz! -- John Dudeck "You want to read the code closely..." jdudeck@Polyslo.CalPoly.Edu -- C. Staley, in OS course, teaching ESL: 62013975 Tel: 805-545-9549 Tanenbaum's MINIX operating system.
Ralf.Brown@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (03/01/90)
In article <25ec1dae.3a35@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>, jdudeck@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (John R. Dudeck) wrote: }One point that can save a lot of money is that some 386 motherboards (such as }my X'Golden Baby 386) have TWO math coprocessor slots, one for a low-end }80287-8Mhz, and the other for a high-end 80387. In your case, as mine, a Not anymore. Currently-produced 386 chips no longer support the 287. -- UUCP: {ucbvax,harvard}!cs.cmu.edu!ralf -=- 412-268-3053 (school) -=- FAX: ask ARPA: ralf@cs.cmu.edu BIT: ralf%cs.cmu.edu@CMUCCVMA FIDO: Ralf Brown 1:129/46 "How to Prove It" by Dana Angluin Disclaimer? I claimed something? 14. proof by importance: A large body of useful consequences all follow from the proposition in question.
wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) (03/04/90)
Whatever you do, get software that takes data points and prints nice graphs. Whne I look at all the *days* I spent doing this and making it look ok.................... -- A host is a host & from coast to coast...wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu no one will talk to a host that's close..............(305) 255-RTFM Unless the host (that isn't close)......................pob 570-335 is busy, hung or dead....................................33257-0335
kabra437@pallas.athenanet.com (Ken Abrams) (03/05/90)
In article <25ed0d19@ralf> Ralf.Brown@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU writes: > >Not anymore. Currently-produced 386 chips no longer support the 287. Excuse me? And when, pray tell, did Intel change the specs. for the 386? Not that I am any expert on the subject, (far from it) but I thought that use of the 287 was accomplished via the supporting chip set and not necessarily due to anything in the design of the 386 itself. -- ======================================================== Ken Abrams uunet!pallas!kabra437 Illinois Bell kabra437@athenanet.com Springfield (voice) 217-753-7965