tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi (Teemu J. M|tt|nen) (05/06/91)
Hello everyone! Here's the summary I promised when I asked about SOTA Express/386 slotless upgrade. I asked: > Hello netters! > > If anyone has ANY info (pricing, performance, compatibility etc.) > on SOTA Technologys SOTA Express/386 slotless accelerator upgrade > for ATs (80286) and PS/2 models 50/60, please e-mail me. I have a > model 60 and I'd like to upgrade it to a 386SX. I will summarize. > > Thanks in advance, > Teemu. It seems that the best thing to do with non-PS/2 ATs is to get a new motherboard. The cost is about the same as for a processor upgrade. With PS/2 ATs (models 50,50Z and 60) one can gain some speed with the SOTA upgrade. The cost is around $500 for 16 MHz 386SX and $600 for 20MHz 386SX. One alternative for SOTA board is Aox Inc.'s MicroMASTER 386 line of products, versions from 20MHz to 33 MHz. The price is higher, but performance is better. You lose one slot though but with model 60 you have plenty of them :-) And here are the answers. I have done some minor editing (headers etc.). Thanks for everyone who answered! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > From: IN%"gwni@uhura.cc.rochester.edu" "G. Wayne Nichols" 18-APR-1991 05:22 > To: tmottonen@cc.Helsinki.FI > CC: > Subj: RE: info needed on SOTA 386SX upgrade board [...] > I use a SOTA 286i accelerator in my Compaq Portable, > so the basic implementation is fine. > > I don't think SOTA made an MCA version, though. > > 386i boards run about $400. > Try CompuClassics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > From: IN%"flusekw@ucs.indiana.edu" "WILLIAM FRANKLIN FLUSEK" 18-APR-1991 05 > To: tmottonen <tmottonen@cc.Helsinki.FI> > CC: > Subj: RE: info needed on SOTA 386SX upgrade board [...] > Hi, > > I don't have a lot of information handy on it, but I can send you a typed > copy of their information over the net if you can wait a couple of days. > One note: I have a friend who has a PS/2 model 60-071 and he was looking > seriously at the Sota board for an upgrade, but the problem was that the > board sits on the old 80286 socket and given the thickness that they quote > in their description, you would loose the use of two slots for full length, > full height cards. The only card that I have really seen that is not full > length is the PS/2 adapter for my external tape backup drive. > > One a more positive note, there is another company called Sigma Data which > has a similar product (in 16 and 20 Mhz flavors) that will not cost you a > slot (or two). They were a bit pricey until recently when the prices were > cut to $595 and $695 respectively. They also had a $100 academic discount > before, and I assume from my phone conversations with them that they still > do have it. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > From: IN%"baer@uwovax.uwo.ca" "Doug Baer" 18-APR-1991 07:00:34.60 > To: tmottonen@cc.Helsinki.FI > CC: > Subj: info needed on SOTA 386SX upgrade board [...] > 1. For information on 286 to 386 upgrades in general, see the review > in the recent Byte magazine (April 91) on MicroWay and Cumulus boards. > I'm sure many of the same issues apply to the Sota board. Compatibility > could be a big problem, especially with any non-standard application. > Windows? Maybe, but some features like disk caching might have to be > turned off and special drivers might be needed. OS/2? Forget it. > Will it work on all machines? No. On many, yes, but not all. > > 2. I bought a Sota 386sx accelerator card, and then a memory board > to go with it, last year. This was a different product -- it was > for an XT. My experience was entirely disasterous. On my particular > machine, a "modification" was necessary. I ordered it after consulting > their tech support people, but the board I got wasn't properly set up. > Ended up shipping things back 2 times before I finally got a working > version. Drivers, which were promised on the tech support bulletin > board, never came. >v)QPYx$ E[ [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > From: IN%"tmurphy%peruvian@cs.utah.edu" 18-APR-1991 21:43:20.54 > To: tmottonen@cc.Helsinki.FI > CC: > Subj: sota sx [...] > I would not suggest getting the sota board. If you have read news again there > is a reference to pc-mag saying they aren't so big on them...I read the article > and would have to agree. The boards are in the 4-500 us dollar range and > for that price you could buy an Haupage 386sx motherboard. I would suggest > either staying with what you have or selling the old mother and buying a new. > You will get a much better product and a lot more for your money. > murph ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > From: IN%"MASCOTT@amherst.BITNET" 22-APR-1991 02:41:54.23 > To: tmottonen@cc.Helsinki.FI > CC: > Subj: info needed on SOTA 386SX upgrade board [...] > > on SOTA Technologys SOTA Express/386 slotless accelerator upgrade > > for ATs (80286) and PS/2 models 50/60, please e-mail me. I have a > > model 60 and I'd like to upgrade it to a 386SX. I will summarize. > My advice is not to bother with an upgrade board. While it may seem tempting > to do so, it will most likely turn out to be a hassle; there is a good chance > that you will face problems with this type of "kludge" at some point during the > life of the machine. Also, I have little faith in the Model 60 as a reliable > machine for the future. I have had many bad experiences with the early PS/2 > hardware. You could do the upgrade and find out 6 months later that your > motherboard has gone bad. > Theo Teemu -- Teemu Mottonen / Department of Computer Science / University of Helsinki tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi | TMOTTONEN@FINUH | tmottone@kruuna.helsinki.fi address: Vapaalantie 26B, SF-01650 Vantaa, Finland / tel: + 358 0 844938
RFM@psuvm.psu.edu (05/06/91)
I've been running a SOTA 386sx accelerator card in a Zenith Z159 -- an xt-level box -- for 18 months now. Had to send it to factory in 1st month for jumpering to make it Zenith compatable, bt it's been running with no problems ever since. It isn't an ideal upgrade, especially not in relation to payoff from replacing motherboard, but back 'then, Hauppage boards were around $1000. Just last month I put an Intel 387sx coprocessor aboard the sota card, and this sucker really moves thru statistical analyses routines now. It used to choke up on least squares calculations (n-way anovas, step- wise regressions, etc.) but now there's hardly a pause in stats roll-outs on my screen. I was warned off getting their memory daughtercard back when I bought my sota board, and I didn't get one. I'm running a couple of Zentih emm boards in my box for xtra memory. Like I said, it aint ideal, but it's adequate. My Norton speed rating went from 2.9 to 15.6. Not bad for $500. I've gotten my money's worth.d When/if this thing dies, then I'll try replacing my mothreboard. -- Anybody know of a motherboard replacement that will fit in a Z159 box? BobM, PSU-Harrisburg
Alexander Couloumbis <ALEX@auvm.auvm.edu> (05/13/91)
In article <1991May5.212353.1@cc.helsinki.fi>, tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi (Teemu J. M|tt|nen) says: > >Hello everyone! >With PS/2 ATs (models 50,50Z and 60) one can gain some speed with >the SOTA upgrade. The cost is around $500 for 16 MHz 386SX and $600 >for 20MHz 386SX. One alternative for SOTA board is Aox Inc.'s MicroMASTER >386 line of products, versions from 20MHz to 33 MHz. The price is higher, >but performance is better. You lose one slot though but with model 60 >you have plenty of them :-) Does anyone has the phone numbers of the above companies? If yes can s/he post them here? Thanks in advance, Alex.
"WILLIAM FRANKLIN FLUSEK" <flusekw@ucs.indiana.edu> (05/14/91)
Hi,
The phone numbers that I have are as follows:
AOX: 617-890-4402 (That comes from last weeks PC Week announcing price
cuts in the MicroMaster card line)
Sigma Data: 603-526-6909 or 800-446-4525
They make the SX/NOW! which is a 386SX upgrade for the Model 50
(not 50Z) or Model 60 in 16 or 20 Mhz (no slot required). The prices
are $595 (16 Mhz) and $695 (20 Mhz) and (supposedly unlike the SOTA
upgrade) it does not cost you a slot
(The SOTA upgrade does not take a slot, but a friend of mine looked into it
and it is tall enough, that give the placement of the processor, you would
loose the use of at least one MCA slot, unless you had a short adapter
card, such as the one for my external 120MB tape drive.)
I can't find my phone number for SOTA right now, so I will post another
follow-up this evening later.
Bill Flusek, Indiana University
Internet: flusekw@ucs.indiana.edu
Bitnet: flusekw@iubacsflusekw@ucs.indiana.edu (WILLIAM FRANKLIN FLUSEK) (05/14/91)
Hello again, Finally, here is the phone numbers that I have for SOTA (from a brochure that they had sent to me): (408)745-1111 (408)745-1640 FAX line Bill Flusek, Indiana University Internet: flusekw@ucs.indiana.edu Bitnet: flusekw@iubacs