dwm@uf.msc.umn.edu (Don Mears) (05/24/91)
I want to get a 40 MHz AMD 386 motherboard.
If you are using a 40Mhz 386 MB, mail me your experiences and recommendations
and I will post the results.
Tell me the motherboard manufacturer, size, cache size, expandability, and
type, BIOS, chipset used, operating system you use, disk and display
controllers used. I am particularly interested in how it works with
UNIX (ESIX) and the Adaptec 1542 controller.
I have learned of:
ATronics International ATI-386/B2 40Mhz motherboard:
ATronics International: 1-800-488-7776
West Coast distributor: CNT Marketing (714) 546-1268
$550 (Yes, they said that DOES include the CPU)
32K direct mapped writeback cache expandable to 128KB
XT sized motherboard
SIS chipset
Up to 8 MB on motherboard additional 8MB on $200 memory board.
Uses 70ns SIMMs with no wait states.
Allows 4x as much memory if you use 4MB SIMMs.
Six 16 bit, 2 8-bit, 1 32-bit memory expansion slot.
I can't be sure of any of this because the information I got
from AT International over the phone contradicts the information
they faxed to me. The person I talked to was not absolutely
positive that it works with 4MB SIMMs.
I have trouble believing the $550 price.
This motherboard was recommended on the net by Fred D. Quintana
<fdq@ATHENA.MIT.EDU> on for running DOS. He has not tried Unix.
I don't have a good feeling about this motherboard, but the price
might make it worth a try.
Cache Computers, Inc. CACHE386-40BAT.
Cache Computers: (415) 226-9922
East Coast distributor: White Mountain Computers (603) 889-0800
$750.
64k direct mapped writeback cache expandable to 256KB.
Baby AT sized motherboard.
OPTI chipset.
Onboard IDE, floppy, 2 serial and game port interfaces.
32MB of memory on motherboard expandable to 64MB with memory board.
Uses 70ns SIMMs with no wait states.
Can use slower SIMMs if you add wait states.
Can use 1MB SIMMs, also.
"Runs all popular operating applications including P-CAD,
AutoCad, Pagemaker Ventura, Orcad, Excel, and Oracle.
Runs all populare operating environments, including
MS-DOS, MS-Windows 3.0, Desqview/386, UNIX/XENIX,
Interactive, Novell, THEOS, and OS/2."
Six 16 bit, 1 8-bit, 1 32-bit memory expansion slot.
BIOS is MRBIOS or AMI BIOS.
Selectable DMA and BUS speeds.
Norton SI 4.5 48.3
Landmark 1.14 65.7 Hz
Powermeter 1.5 8.29 MIPS
Whetstones w/387 2457K
Dhrystones 15172
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These both work with 33MHz 80387's. I don't quite understand how.
I have no first hand experience with either of these boards or vendors.
Mail me info and I will post a summary within a week.
Disclaimer: Everything I say may or may not be false at least 50% of the time.
I don't represent anyone because I don't know what I am talking
about.
dwm@msc.edu Donald W. Mears @ Minnesota Supercomputer Center