unhd (Steven T Mcclure) (12/01/89)
Hi all. I am thinking of getting a new computer, and was looking for advice
and/or help in locating parts or even possibly an already complete system.
What I am looking for is this:
80386 33Mhz (or possibly 25, prefer 33 for obvious reasons :-))
65 or larger hard disk (want FAST disk info)
hard/floppy disk controller for at least 2 hard and 2 floppy
Super VGA (I want great graphics) board/monitor
1.2Meg or 1.44Meg floppy disks
At least 2 MB of RAM (with future upgrade a possibility)
MS-DOS
Now, I have already found a case for all of this. What I am interested is
in details about different makes, models, prices, where I can get it, what
it will/wont work with, etc. Some questions I can think of already:
1) Should I use DOS 3.3 or 4.0?
2) Do I want SCSI or something else for the disks?
3) How much difference in price/performance is there between
33Mhz and 25Mhz?
Or, should I just buy a complete system instead of building one? Any
suggestions on what system? Thanks for any and all information in advance.
--
Steven T. McClure uucp: ...!uunet!unhd!stm
University of New Hampshire internet: stm@unhd
Durham, NH
jfm@winton.med.unc.edu (John F. Miller) (12/01/89)
Gateway 2000 now advertises (in InfoWorld, PCWeek, Byte, etc.) the
following system for $4795. Does anyone know of a better deal?
I doubt that any individual could put together a comparable system
for any significant savings, particularly when the warranty and
followup service are considered. I know a few persons who have
Gateway 2000's 20 and 25 MHz systems, and they are quite pleased.
33 MHz 386 with 64K cache, 4 MB RAM, 1.2M 5.25" drive, 1.44M 3.5"
drive, 160 MB ESDI drive, 16 bit VGA board, 14" 1024x768 color
monitor, 1 parallel & 2 serial ports, 101 key keyboard, MSDOS
3.3 or 4.01, 30 day money back guarantee, 1 year warranty including
free on-site service in many areas nationwide, lifetime tollfree
phone support.
I have no connection with Gateway 2000, other than wanting one of
these toys and wishing I could justify the expense.
John F. Miller
Department of Pharmacology, UNC-CH School of Medicine
1026A FLOB (231H) CB#7365, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Tel: (919) 966-6966mikes@NCoast.ORG (Mike Squires) (12/03/89)
In article <1989Dec1.003522.21530@uunet!unhd> stm@uunet!unhd (Steven T Mcclure) writes: >Now, I have already found a case for all of this. What I am interested is >in details about different makes, models, prices, where I can get it, what >it will/wont work with, etc. Some questions I can think of already: > > 2) Do I want SCSI or something else for the disks? > SCSI controllers at this point are easier to hang other devices on (such as a tape drive) but seem to be slower. ESDI drives are faster but you'd need another controller card if you use a high-capacity tape backup system. There seems to be no cost difference between the ESDI and SCSI versions of the same drive. I'm using an Adaptec 1540A controller with CDC 340MB SCSI and 660MB Micrpolis SCSI drives and a Cipher 150MB streaming tape. Although there is an MS-DOS partition on the primary drive (CDC) the system runs under SCO XENIX V 2.3.3 almost all of the time.
kens@hplsla.HP.COM (Ken Snyder) (12/05/89)
> a tape drive) but seem to be slower. ESDI drives are faster but you'd need > another controller card if you use a high-capacity tape backup system. Not completely true. The Western Digital WD1007 ESDI controller card controls 2 hard drives, 2 floppy drives AND a tape drive. It takes a special cable that has the two disc drive connectors on it and an additional connector for the tape drive. This cable comes with the tape unit when you buy it. Ken
kens@hplsla.HP.COM (Ken Snyder) (12/05/89)
Regarding the question of the 386 machine. I'm the owner of Gateway 2000 25Mhz 386 machine with the aforementioned WD1007 controller card. I'm very happy with it. I think you would be hard pressed to be able to put together a system as cheaply as the one they sell from individual components. Regarding DOS 3.3 or 4.01, I'd opt for DOS 4.01 (as I did). As a UNIX person by day it makes no sense to me to be forced to partition one disc into pieces and then manually manage what goes where so you don't run out of space. Also, I've found that 4.01 has lots of features that 3.3 doesn't have as well as a semi-usefull dos shell. There have been some software utilities that had problems with DOS 4.01 but these have been minimal and if you are starting now building your software library, they can be avoided. Hope this helps, Ken I don't work for Gateway, I only like their: machines, prices, service & people.
jbayer@ispi.UUCP (Jonathan Bayer) (12/06/89)
kens@hplsla.HP.COM (Ken Snyder) writes: > Not completely true. The Western Digital WD1007 ESDI controller card >controls 2 hard drives, 2 floppy drives AND a tape drive. It takes a >special cable that has the two disc drive connectors on it and an additional >connector for the tape drive. This cable comes with the tape unit when >you buy it. What kind of interface is the tape drive? Is it supported on SCO Unix/Xenix? Also, whose tape unit, WDs? JB -- Jonathan Bayer Intelligent Software Products, Inc. (201) 245-5922 500 Oakwood Ave. jbayer@ispi.COM Roselle Park, NJ 07204