kutcha@clotho.acm.rpi.edu (Phillip Rzewski) (10/29/90)
I have been using my silly Apple //c as a terminal for the past two years
now and though I have had the itching to get myself a computer system that did
more than emulate VT100, I never quite could bring myself to spend the money
or decide for certain what I was after. Well, the choice was made for me as my
mother's business appears to be getting rid of its PS/2 Model 30 machines and
replacing them with a big IBM RS6000 or some such.
Well it just so happens that come the first of this year I may be getting
one. Problem is that though I know quite a bit about how to operate one of
them, there are some hardware related things that I am quite curious, and since
it is used I doubt it will come with many manuals to answer my questions for
me. So I figured I would make use of this useful newsgroup.
First of all, from what I know, all Model 30 machines came with MCGA. I
don't like that. I would much rather have VGA, really. Trouble is that I don't
know how to go about that. I was speaking with a guru friend the other day who
told me that I could get any VGA monitor I wanted (ie I could buy an
inexpensive one over the mail or something) but I would probably end up buying
the graphics card from IBM due to the "MCA Bus" on the PS/2. Is this true? Are
there any companies that make inexpensive VGA cards that will work in the PS/2
Model 30?
Also, I have been told that IBM set out to screw over some Model 30 owners
and stuck wimpy processors in them and claimed to have put 80286 processors in
them. How can I tell if the PS/2 I get as the 80286 or the lesser processor?
Please respond by mail. Any help would be appreciated.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ -Phil Andrew Haldryan Rzewski Internet: kutcha@clotho.acm.rpi.edu +
+ "I fileted them and ate them." Bitnet: USERF3DK@RPITSMTS.BITNET +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++megabyte@chinet.chi.il.us (Dr. Megabyte) (10/29/90)
In <WR7%R0#@rpi.edu> kutcha@clotho.acm.rpi.edu (Phillip Rzewski) writes: > First of all, from what I know, all Model 30 machines came with MCGA. I This is true. This is a quasi VGA, better than EGA, bit not truly VGA. It does use the same VGA monitors and the rest of the PS/2 line though. >told me that I could get any VGA monitor I wanted (ie I could buy an >inexpensive one over the mail or something) but I would probably end up buying >the graphics card from IBM due to the "MCA Bus" on the PS/2. Is this true? No, it is not. The Model 30 uses the industry standard bus, more commonly known at the XT or AT Bus. While IBM does sell a VGA card for both the model 30 and older XT's and AT's, you can also use anyone else's too. The model's 30's monitor should work with any VGA card also. >Also, I have been told that IBM set out to screw over some Model 30 owners >and stuck wimpy processors in them and claimed to have put 80286 processors in >them. How can I tell if the PS/2 I get as the 80286 or the lesser processor? Never heard about the "screwing" but there are two model 30's: The Model 30 has a 8088 processor, the model 30 286 has a 80286. Just look right on the front: It is says, "Model 30" you have a 8088, if it says, "Model 30 286" you have a 80286. -- "Howdy Folks! I'm Oedipus Tex! You mida heard of my Brother Rex!" Mark E. Sunderlin: IRS Technocrat in Stephens City, VA aka Dr. Megabyte: megabyte@chinet.chi.il.us (703) TOY-DUDE
sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney) (10/30/90)
In article <WR7%R0#@rpi.edu>, kutcha@clotho.acm.rpi.edu (Phillip Rzewski) writes: > > Also, I have been told that IBM set out to screw over some Model 30 owners >and stuck wimpy processors in them and claimed to have put 80286 processors in >them. How can I tell if the PS/2 I get as the 80286 or the lesser processor? Huh? There are two versions of the Model 30; the Model 30 with the "wimpy" 8088 and the Model 30/286 with a '286 in it. The '30/286 has a "real drive" (1.44 MB) and real VGA as well.
esaholm@polaris.utu.fi (Esa Holmberg) (10/30/90)
sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney) writes: >Huh? There are two versions of the Model 30; the Model 30 with the "wimpy" >8088 and the Model 30/286 with a '286 in it. The '30/286 has a "real drive" Once more.. PS/2 model 30 has 8086, not 8088, and model 30-H has 80286.. -- _________________________________________________________________________ ( Esa Holmberg, Turku Telephone Company, AXE, Linnankatu 4, 20100 TURKU, ) ) Finland ! Elisa: Holmberg Esa TT (tt) ! fax +358 21 502 298 / ( Internet: esaholm@utu.fi, esa.holmberg/o=tt/@elisa.fi /
teexmmo@ioe.lon.ac.uk (Matthew Moore) (11/01/90)
(Esa Holmberg) writes: > > Once more.. PS/2 model 30 has 8086, not 8088, and > model 30-H has 80286.. Perhaps the reason that people make this dreadful mistake is that they dont know what the difference between an Intel 8088 and 8086 is. If its not too much trouble, could you tell us what the differenc eis, and why its important?
max@lever.com (Max J. Rochlin) (11/07/90)
From article <1990Nov1.120159.20396@ioe.lon.ac.uk>, by teexmmo@ioe.lon.ac.uk (Matthew Moore): > (Esa Holmberg) writes: > Perhaps the reason that people make this dreadful mistake is that they > dont know what the difference between an Intel 8088 and 8086 is. > > If its not too much trouble, could you tell us what the differenc eis, > and why its important? That's easy...the only real difference between the 8088 and the 8086 is that the the 8086 has a 16 bit data bus and the 8088 has an eight bit databus. This means the 8088 based system has to do two fetches for instruction and needs data, where the 8086 only need s a single fetch. ( For all practical purposes the difference between the 8086 and the 8088 is the same between a slug and a snail...the slug is still slow as *&$! but at least it doesn't has stoopid shell on it's back. ) +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Did you know that the word 'gullible' isn't in Webster's dictionary? | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | decwrl!madmax!max or {sun,uunet}!saxony!madmax!max | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
doerschu@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Dave Doerschuk) (11/07/90)
In article <1990Nov1.120159.20396@ioe.lon.ac.uk> teexmmo@ioe.lon.ac.uk (Matthew Moore) writes: >(Esa Holmberg) writes: >> Once more.. PS/2 model 30 has 8086, not 8088, and >> model 30-H has 80286.. >Perhaps the reason that people make this dreadful mistake is that they >dont know what the difference between an Intel 8088 and 8086 is. >If its not too much trouble, could you tell us what the differenc eis, >and why its important? I didn't write either of the above 2 articles, but I'd be happy to describe the difference between the 8086 and the 8088. In a nutshell, the big difference is the size of the external databus. Both the 8086 and the 8088 have a 16 bit data word and do their internal computations with 16 bits as their "native" integer size. However, the 8088 has only 8 wires connecting it to the databus, where the 8086 has 16 wires. To read an integer from RAM memory, for instance, takes the 8088 two "bus fetch cycles"; that is, it must ask the RAM for 8 bits at a time, twice. The 8086 has the advantage of only needing one bus fetch cycle for this read operation because it can read all 16 bits at one time, hence it is faster. This explaination is somewhat simplified, but it contains the essence. Hope this helps. Dave Doerschuk doerschu@rex.cs.tulane.edu