tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi (04/17/91)
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.
--
_________
Teemu Mottonen | | internet: tmottonen@cc.helsinki.Fi
University of Helsinki | | bitnet: TMOTTONEN@FINUH
Dept.of Computer Science |_________| decnet: HYLK::TMOTTONENFrom The Mind Of <U39648@uicvm.uic.edu> (04/18/91)
> 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. The SOTA Express/386 is basically an Intel 386SX processor with a static RAM cache and a socket for a 387SX math coprocessor all on a little card that plugs into an 80286 socket. There are two versions, a 16MHz version with 16K cache, and a 20MHz version with 32K cache. Performance is not up to par with an IBM Model 55SX, which uses a 16MHz 386SX. Most lacking is graphics speed, but that's because the VGA gets no speedup at all. What does get sped-up is the actual computations, so spreadsheets calc faster, spell checkers work faster, etc. The 16MHz version seems to perform better than a 12MHz 80286, and not quite the performance of a 16MHz 386SX. I've heard the 20MHz version performs around the same as a mainstream 16MHz 386SX clone. I saw the 16MHz version advertised locally for $425. Note that you also need an adapter, that runs from $50 to $75. It works with IBM PS/2 Models 50, 50Z, and 60. It does NOT work on the Model 30-286. (I'm unsure of 25-286 compatibility, but my best guess is no.) It runs Windows in 386 enhanced mode with no problems. It also will allow the computer to use all 386-specific software, such as BlueMAX. So you can use all those neat memory management programs with it. It seems like a perfect product, but to be honest, I think $500+ is a bit steep for not-quite 16MHz 386 performance. - Darius ========================================================================= BITNET: U39648@UICVM | "I'd rather laugh with the sinners Internet: u39648@uicvm.uic.edu | than cry with the saints, ====================================| the sinners are much more fun, "Don't set fire to strangers." | and only the good die young." - Mr. Zarniwoop | - Billy Joel
oneel@heawk1.rosserv.gsfc.nasa.gov ( Bruce Oneel ) (04/18/91)
In article <1991Apr17.165958.6023@cc.helsinki.fi> tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi writes: 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. -- _________ Teemu Mottonen | | internet: tmottonen@cc.helsinki.Fi University of Helsinki | | bitnet: TMOTTONEN@FINUH Dept.of Computer Science |_________| decnet: HYLK::TMOTTONEN The current issue of PC magazine has a review of a few of these 386 plug in boards. They don't sound too good. For the ATs it looked like some 386 replacement motherboard would be a better shot. bruce -- | Bruce O'Neel | internet : oneel@heasfs.gsfc.nasa.gov| | Code 664/STX | span : lheavx::oneel | | NASA/GSFC Bld 28/W281 |compuserve: 72737,1315 | | Greenbelt MD 20771 | AT&Tnet : (301)-286-4585 | Thats me in the corner, thats me in the spotlight, losin' my religion -- rem
amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen) (04/20/91)
In <91107.194110U39648@> From The Mind Of <U39648@uicvm.uic.edu> writes: >> 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. >The SOTA Express/386... 386SX processor, static cache, socket for 387Sx >There are two versions, 16MHz with 16K cache, and 20MHz with 32K cache. >Performance is not up to par with an IBM Model 55SX, which uses a 16MHz >386SX. The 16MHz seems to perform better than a 12MHz 80286, (not quite) > of a 16MHz 386SX. I've heard the 20MHz version performs(like) 16MHz 386SX With a respect to SOTA (and the previous poster had quite a good review overall of the product, covering it....). The sota doesn't cut it. The big- gest bottleneck is the memory accessing af the 286 in these systems. The overall inside application performance of a sota (16 MHZ) is blown out of the water by the INTEL INBOARD 386 AT. This card uses a FULL 386, comes WITH 1 MB of 16 MHZ 32 bit DRAM, and software that can (usually) copy the video rom to 32 bit ram to vastly accelerate video I/O as well. The card provides FULL 32 bit 16 MHZ system performance in everything except the I/O bus. Buffering the video rom helps greatly, so the bottleneck becomes the disk i/o rates. What's worse, is it's only about $100 more than the sota wich comes with NO system dram. Further, it has a single 32 bit expansion socket on it, and allows an additional 32 bit option card, such as another memory card. HOWEVER, it only works with AT bus machines. You may be better off to swap systems with somebody that has a IBM 30-286, get the $100 from them, and buy the intel board instead. I can only hope that intel has a inboard for small microchannel systems. Personally, I'm hoping for a 25 MHZ inboard Microchannel card from INTEL.... al -- Al. Michielsen, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University InterNet: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu amichiel@sunrise.acs.syr.edu Bitnet: AMICHIEL@SUNRISE
From The Mind Of <U39648@uicvm.uic.edu> (04/21/91)
> I can only hope that intel has a inboard for small microchannel systems. >Personally, I'm hoping for a 25 MHZ inboard Microchannel card from INTEL.... Well, Intel has no expressed interest in such a product, and an IBM Business Partner has been making such a product for quite some time now: Aox International 486 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02154 Phone: 1-617-890-4402 / 1-800-232-1269 FAX: 1-617-890-8445 The product is called the Aox MicroMASTER. There is an Aox MicroMASTER 386 in 20MHz and 25MHz that is a 16-bit bus-mastering Micro Channel adapter, and an Aox MicroMASTER 386 33MHz and an Aox MicroMASTER 486 25MHz that are bus- mastering 32-bit Micro Channel adapters that also work in 16-bit slots. The 386 boards offer 387 support, and they all support up to 8M of 32-bit memory on the adapter, in addition to any system memory already installed. The 20/25MHz versions have a 32K static RAM cache. (Don't know how big the 386-33 or 485-25 is...) Ever see an IBM show where they've show a "super server" with two 486s? It was a prototype IBM PS/2 95 XP with an Aox MicroMASTER 486 installed. There's some software that was just announced called OS/Master for these cards that allow your original processor to run one operating system, and the 386/486 on the MicroMASTER to run another. I have not seen this done yet. It may be noted that I'm a happy Aox customer, but I'm not affiliated with them in any other way. - Darius ========================================================================= BITNET: U39648@UICVM | "I'd rather laugh with the sinners Internet: u39648@uicvm.uic.edu | than cry with the saints, ====================================| the sinners are much more fun, "Don't set fire to strangers." | and only the good die young." - Mr. Zarniwoop | - Billy Joel
tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi (04/22/91)
In article <91107.194110U39648@uicvm.uic.edu>, U39648@uicvm.uic.edu (From The Mind Of) writes: >> 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. > > The SOTA Express/386 is basically an Intel 386SX processor with a static > RAM cache and a socket for a 387SX math coprocessor all on a little > card that plugs into an 80286 socket. There are two versions, a 16MHz > version with 16K cache, and a 20MHz version with 32K cache. > > Performance is not up to par with an IBM Model 55SX, which uses a 16MHz > 386SX. Most lacking is graphics speed, but that's because the VGA gets > no speedup at all. What does get sped-up is the actual computations, so > spreadsheets calc faster, spell checkers work faster, etc. The 16MHz > version seems to perform better than a 12MHz 80286, and not quite the > performance of a 16MHz 386SX. I've heard the 20MHz version performs > around the same as a mainstream 16MHz 386SX clone. > > I saw the 16MHz version advertised locally for $425. Note that you also > need an adapter, that runs from $50 to $75. I just saw an ad for a SX/NOW! upgrade for PS/2 models 50 & 60. by Sigma Data. It features 16 KB of cache, onboard 16 MHz processor clock, socket for 387SX and requires no expansion slot. They claim the following benchmark results: Norton SI: 17.4, Landmark:23.1/12.3, Dhrystones: 3069/8.92, Whetstones 69.3K/10.5. The price is $895. The product is actually made by Kingston Technology Corporation. This product seems interesting if their benchmark claims are correct, but the price is a bit too much. For $200 more or so one could get an Aox MicroMASTER (387DX-20) with one meg of memory. Anyone have experience with this product ? 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