[1265] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
upgrading 8088 --> 80386sx
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU ((Lee Jaffe, Microcomp)
Mon Sep 21 13:08:46 1992
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1992 11:21:46 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: "(Lee Jaffe, Microcomputer & Network Services)" <jaffe@scilibx.UCSC.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Please reply to author, not PACS-L. Thanks, Jill
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
We're starting to see the hard drives on more and more of our older XT clones
start to die and we're starting to reach the point where we can't fix them
by salvaging parts from surplus equipment. We were surprised this week to
find that the old standard Seagate 20MB MFM or any MFM drives are getting
harder to find. RLL isn't compatible with the older 8088 BIOS and you pay
a premium for an IDE controller that will fit into an 8088. Even then you
end up with a fast drive in a slow computer. If you could find a 20MB MFM
drive to replace the dead one, we're talking about $200. To put a 40MB IDE
into the system, it will be about $300. The vendor suggested upgrading the
motherboard to an 80386sx board and installing an IDE drive, reusing the
original case, floppy drive, power supply, I/O and display. For the board,
2-1MB SIMMs, controller and a 40MB IDE drive, we've received an estimate of
about $400. The way I'm looking at it is that, for a slight bump in price,
I'm getting trading an obsolete 8088 for a 386sx.
Has anyone tried this? Any advice to offer? It sounds too good to be true.
Is it?
Thanks for you help. You can send replies to me and I'll summarize for the
list.
-- Lee Jaffe, UC Santa Cruz
