akcs.gregc@ddsw1.MCS.COM (*Greg*) (07/14/90)
Hi all.. I wanted to know what the difference is in seeing a AMI Motherboard when looking at it. Touch (A computer corporation in IL.) Says that an AMI MotherBoard is more compatible than others. Is this true? Do I really have to buy a AMI (Based MotherBoard) to get the best in compatibility? (For the 386 line of course) Can I just buy a computer that has the complete chip set of the AMI MotherBoard? Please, send me Private mail since not to many people may be interested in this. But, you could do both just to be on the safe side. Mail me Private and express your Opinion. Thank you.
chaz@chinet.chi.il.us (Charlie Kestner) (07/16/90)
One of the nice features of the AMI 386 motherboard is that the proprietary 32-bit slot can be used as an 8-bit slot. (I've got my Logimouse card in mine.) The AMI mama takes up to 8M, the first 4M via DIPs, the second 4M via SIMMS.
dwu@alcor.usc.edu (Daniel Wu) (07/16/90)
In article <269ec77e-31fccomp.ibmpc@ddsw1.MCS.COM> akcs.gregc@ddsw1.MCS.COM (*Greg*) writes: > >Touch (A computer corporation in IL.) Says that an AMI MotherBoard is more >compatible than others. Is this true? > >Do I really have to buy a AMI (Based MotherBoard) to get the best in >compatibility? (For the 386 line of course) Can I just buy a computer >that has the complete chip set of the AMI MotherBoard? > >Please, send me Private mail since not to many people may be interested in >this. But, you could do both just to be on the safe side. Mail me Private >and express your Opinion. > Please post. I'm interested, and I'm sure other people are interested in this too. I've been considering buying a UNIX box, and would like a 386 (25 or 33Mhz) cache system. Gateway sounds like a good deal, but I think I can save a few bucks putting it together myself. Thus I'm also interested in the most compatible 386 motherboards available. After calling AMI, I found out that the AMI Mark III motherboard has just become available. It's a 386 board but can be upgradable to a 486. I believe AMI introduced this latest motherboard at Comdex. If anyone out there has any experiences or opinions about these AMI mother- boards (or any other 386 motherboards) in regards to compatibility, please post. >Thank you. I thank you as well. Daniel dwu@alcor.usc.edu
zech@leadsv.UUCP (Bill Zech) (07/17/90)
Well, I have an AMI Mk II 386 motherboard (25Mhz) which I have used for about one year now. I have 8 megs of RAM and an 80387, also an ATI VGA Wonder & ATI mouse, a parallel/serial board, a plain-jane 1:1 MFM disk controller, Everex streaming tape, A Sound Blaster, a 34010-based image processor, Miniscribe 3085 disk, 5.25" HD floppy, 3.5" HD floppy. Everything does and always has worked perfectly. I have run Win/386 and Windows 3.0, QEMM 5.1, most Borland stuff, lots of Microsoft stuff, a variety of games and lots of other programs, and have never encountered any compatibility problems. The dealer I bought it from also sells them with UNIX (not sure what brand). I haven't tried peeeeeeUnix on it myself. So for what it's worth, my experience has been good. Not a single glitch. Keeping my fingers crossed. - Bill
bote@csense.uucp (John Boteler) (07/17/90)
From article <10856@chaph.usc.edu>, by dwu@alcor.usc.edu (Daniel Wu): > In article <269ec77e-31fccomp.ibmpc@ddsw1.MCS.COM> akcs.gregc@ddsw1.MCS.COM (*Greg*) writes: >> >>Touch (A computer corporation in IL.) Says that an AMI MotherBoard is more >>compatible than others. Is this true? > > Please post. I'm interested, and I'm sure other people are interested in > this too. I've been considering buying a UNIX box, and would > like a 386 (25 or 33Mhz) cache system. > If anyone out there has any experiences or opinions about these AMI mother- > boards (or any other 386 motherboards) in regards to compatibility, > please post. More compatible? With what? I can say that there were some conflicts between multiport serial adapters using the high address space up near 16Mb and the cache address on EARLY AMI 386 motherboards. That was right about the time they were hitting the market widely, targeting, of course, DOS applications. UNIX? What's that?? I believe the latest is that this has been addressed (no pun!). The other unconfirmed RUMOR about the earlier AMI systems was that occasionally the cache memory would return invalid data under very heavy system loads. (DOS doesn't tax a 386 :) This was never confirmed by me, nor was it a problem for all two of these motherboards running Xenix 2.3, and now SCO UNIX 3.2.x.x.x.x.x All in all, from the built-in BIOS configuration/diagnostic routines to the construction, I have been pleased with the AMI systems. It still seems to be a chore to locate a supplier who claims to have them; the tendency is to ship whatever was cheapest down on the docks this week! I note that most of the motherboards nowadays seem to be supplied with AMI BIOS, if not the entire chipset. They do seem to have it together, it just took a little while. I'm gone... -- John Boteler {uunet | ka3ovk}!media!csense!bote NCN NudesLine: 703-241-BARE -- VOICE only, Touch-Tone (TM) accessible
akcs.gregc@ddsw1.MCS.COM (*Greg*) (07/17/90)
Some new info on AMI boards in the "386" range.. The 80386 25mhz AMI beats the pants off (in price) of the Gateway 2000 25 mhz computer at the Touche company located in IL. There listed in Computer Shopper on page 98. They also have an Ultrastor controller w/32k cache. They start at $1899.00 and after a 8 meg upgrade and a 300 meg disk .. The price can't be beat with the Sony HG/Orchid combo at full VRAM implants. I like that computer. The case is different that they will provide with it though. It's a "PC-Brand" looking case style. Nice. - Greg p.s. Whats the number to Comdex?!
akcs.gregc@ddsw1.MCS.COM (*Greg*) (07/17/90)
AMI Motherboards are onsale at: Soft Hard Systems (New in stock) (716)834-2125 Page 451 in Computer Shopper. Tell em Greg sent ya. (heh) They also have Orchid Motherboards, Mylex, Micronics (blowouts). - Greg
tomf@cms2.UUCP (Tom Fortner) (07/19/90)
In article <10856@chaph.usc.edu# dwu@alcor.usc.edu (Daniel Wu) writes: #In article <269ec77e-31fccomp.ibmpc@ddsw1.MCS.COM> akcs.gregc@ddsw1.MCS.COM (*Greg*) writes: #> #>Touch (A computer corporation in IL.) Says that an AMI MotherBoard is more #>compatible than others. Is this true? #> #>Do I really have to buy a AMI (Based MotherBoard) to get the best in #>compatibility? (For the 386 line of course) Can I just buy a computer #>that has the complete chip set of the AMI MotherBoard? #> #>Please, send me Private mail since not to many people may be interested in #>this. But, you could do both just to be on the safe side. Mail me Private #>and express your Opinion. #> # #Please post. I'm interested, and I'm sure other people are interested in #this too. I've been considering buying a UNIX box, and would #like a 386 (25 or 33Mhz) cache system. Gateway sounds like a good deal, #but I think I can save a few bucks putting it together myself. Thus #I'm also interested in the most compatible 386 motherboards available. # #After calling AMI, I found out that the AMI Mark III motherboard has just #become available. It's a 386 board but can be upgradable to a 486. I #believe AMI introduced this latest motherboard at Comdex. # #If anyone out there has any experiences or opinions about these AMI mother- #boards (or any other 386 motherboards) in regards to compatibility, #please post. # If you build it yourself, don't make the mistake we made. Our Micronics 386 motherboard allows no on-board RAM of any kind. We have 8MB on a 32 bit daughterboard, but that is all it can hold. To help this situation, we added a CompuAdd ESDI 4MB controller card, which stores data as well as instructions, but it cannot process. You need one MB of ram per user node, don't under- populate your RAM, and buy a big, fast hard drive. It will save your doing it over in a few months. Tom -- Tom Fortner ** The greatest gift a man can offer Christian Medical & Dental Society ** his Maker is a repentant committed UUCP: cms2!tomf ** life and a disciplined, diligent INTERNET: tomf@cms2.lonestar.org ** mind.
chaz@chinet.chi.il.us (Charlie Kestner) (07/19/90)
Re: "Touch". That is "Touche" by PC Pros in Darien, Illinois (708) 810-1010. Re: AMI Yes, the motherboard PC Pros is supplying in teh Touche system will indeed take a 486 chip (No, I've NOT tried it, just repeating the manufacturer's (AMI's) specs). The motherboard takes up 8M RAM, the first 4M via 1M DIPs, the second 4M via 1M SIMMS. Anything else, you need to get the propri- etary 32-bit RAM card. (Dunno cost, dunno capacity, don't care.) The motherboard will take either an 80387 or a Wietek. The 32-bit slot can be used as an 8-bit slot (my mouse card is in my system's 32-bit slot). I have Compaq DOS 3.31, and DesqView 386 on the system. So far, no big problems. (QEMM wouldn't get faked out by my 387 emulator, although that's probably NOTHING to do with the AMI.) Should someone want a NICE 33mhz system, I'd recommend not only the AMI motherboard, but PC Pros, also. System came equipped with the following: 33mhz, 4M 70ns, 32K cache, 1S/1P (AST card), tower case w/220w, Keytronics 101 kbd, Ultrastor HD/FD controller w/32K cache (Ultra- stor allows THREE floppies, so a tape is easy to add), 1.2M and 1.44M floppies, Maxtor 4170E 157M 14ms ESDI drive, Orchid 512k Pro-Designer video (up to 1024x768 NON-interlaced), Sony CDP-1304 14" NON-interlaced analog multi-scan. 1-year on-site TRW service. $ 4,150 delivered. (About 1 week after ordering, came via FedEx.)