CompuServe Messages

>The Intel design does not allow for more than 4 PCI slots< The Intel P6 machines will have dual PCI buses. I don't know if that is a feature of the P6 machines or the Orion chipset. >Buy the Microsoft Windows NT software first & check the "Hardware Compatibility List"< You can d/l the HCL from the WinNT forum. >At the moment, I'm told dual Pentium systems only run as high as 120 MHz and work with the Intel Neptune chip set. Motherboards that use the Neptune chip set can't run EDO ram, only regular ram.< They can run 120/133. The Neptune supports SMP, the Triton2 chipset will also support SMP, but that isn't out yet. I'm not to worried about EDO ram when you have a good cache. >If you buy both Pentiums now, and software is not developed for the second chip, you've wasted several hundred dollars on a second Pentium.< Since MAX will support multiple CPU's that isn't a problem now. >I heard of an situation using Dell computers where it wouldn't even boot at all when NT was installed because the bios information was incompatible.< Maybe older Dell machines, the Pentium machines are not a problem. Quite a few machines did not work with earlier versions of NT. That shouldn't be a problem these days. >Some drives can be bought as an external with their own individual box, fan & power supply. This is not a bad option but I wonder about the integrity of the connections when looping external SCSI cables from drive to drive.< That shouldn't be a problem if you use good shielded cables and keep the total length to under 6 meters. >I keep hearing that proper termination is a concern for SCSI drives & that an active terminator is a good idea on the last drive.< Proper termination is a must for reliable SCSI, though it isn't difficult to setup as some people think. You need to have termination on both ends. >50 pin miniature external SCSI connector on a bracket< Those run about $30. >Some motherboards have a separate connection for PS2 mouse< One of the best features on my Dell XPS100, and one I haven't found on any other mobo that I have seen without buying an entire system. >The Perception board usually would be on the PCI slot that is closest to the ISA slots so the daughterboard can overhang a spare ISA slot.< Not on my Dell, the PCI slots are on the left and the leftmost slot holds the PVR/AD2500 and overhangs toward the bottom of the case. Only one slot taken and none overhang, but I am looking for another mobo because it only has 3 PCI slots and I'm looking for a dual-cpu smp board. >buy a motherboard with SCSI built on< Another feature not found on any mobo I have seen. HP machines have FSCSI2 onboard, but their machines have a premium price. >buy a mother board with EISA slots rather than ISA slots & use an EISA SCSI controller board.< EISA is dead. The mobo's cost more, the EISA cards cost more, and there are not many EISA cards out there. >It is probably not a good idea to install games on the hard drive of this computer least some of the assigned files conflict with the main applications this workstation was built for.< That is not a problem. >Nobody yet has been able to tell me how much memory is too much when using the Perception/Speed Razor on Windows NT. Sounds like 32 meg will do but 48 or 64 would be better.< I have 32MB now, I'm getting another 32MB for MAX.