gavin@mit-caf.MIT.EDU (Gavin C. H. Zau) (07/27/90)
I would like to upgrade a XT with an accelerator board (probably a 286 type). Can anyone recommend a solution and source?? The main use is some spreadsheet calculations and a little word processing. The XT has a 8087 coprocessor which I would like to be able to use as most accelerator do not include a floating point coprocessor. A key requirement is low price as an expensive option would be buying a new computer. Thanks alot. -- ************************************************************ Gavin Zau Dept of Chemical Engineering, MIT gavin@caf.mit.edu mefl@eagle.mit.edu
baer@uwovax.uwo.ca (07/30/90)
In article <4832@mit-caf.MIT.EDU>, gavin@mit-caf.MIT.EDU (Gavin C. H. Zau) writes: > I would like to upgrade a XT with an accelerator > board (probably a 286 type). Can anyone recommend a solution > and source?? The main use is some spreadsheet calculations and > a little word processing. The XT has a 8087 coprocessor which I > would like to be able to use as most accelerator do not include a > floating point coprocessor. A key requirement is low price as an > expensive option would be buying a new computer. > Thanks alot. > I'd be very careful about this option as opposed to obtaining a cheap 286 (or, if this is feasible, an entire motherboard replacement). I put an accelerator card into my Zenith XT (passive backplane design -- making other options difficult), and was quite dissatisfied with the outcome. I *knew* that I'd get XT speeds on disk access, and I was prepared to accept this (I wanted the accelerator especially for math tasks). What I didn't expect was 1) compatibility problems requiring special "fixes" (I ended up sending the board back twice) for my machine, 2) other hardware problems with my XT (possibly brought on by the added demands placed on the system by the acceleator card), 3) promised patches and fixes from the board manufacturer which have yet to materialize (I knew the claim that the board would run OS/2 might have been a bit far-fetched, and I *did* get EMS LIM 4.0 memory working, but I never got extended memory to work properly, and there were some limitations in my use of EMS-dependent software). All I wanted was something to keep my old klunker XT in operation for another year or so (when I planned to buy a 386 or better). Suffice it to say that I'm now the proud owner of a new machine -- the accelerator card sits idly in the corner. My recommendations for would-be accelerator card purchasers: 1) make absolutely sure that everything on your XT is working *perfectly* before you even consider a card of this sort. The best accelerator card in the world will be useless if any of the critical parts in your original XT fail [this also implies that owners of XT's with a lot of heavy service over 5-6 years might best be advised to think again] 2) Be wary of manufacturers' claims. If in doubt, post a "has anyone got any experience with x?" message on the net. 3) Consider the proposed use. If it is I/O intensive, reconsider your plans -- the 8-bit XT bus will really hold you back (example: when I tried to use Desqview to run a communications application in the background, I got into big trouble). For what it's worth, Douglas Baer, Dept. of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 5C2 Internet: BAER@UWO.CA Bitnet: BAER@UWOVAX
briggs@tamunix (Mark Lowe) (08/01/90)
The SOTA 286 board is good. I believe it will crank your SI rating up to about 12. I have seen them in XTs and it makes the system act like it has a 286 in it according to the SI program. These should be available at any store that carries products for compatibles. Mark C. Lowe - KB5III