CompuServe Thread

#sota386si

14 messages in this thread
#73287From: michel beausejourOct 12, 1992 12:02 PM
Looking for Sota386si accelerator for my xt bridgeboard Let me know if you want to sell yours Michel
#73301From: RON TROYOct 12, 1992 3:41 PM
If I could afford and get a 386 bb I'd sell mine, but … 🙂 Ron
#73390From: michel beausejourOct 13, 1992 7:02 PM
ok keep my name then just in case..BTW does it make a big difference (how big difference i mean) with the 386 accelerator installed? Also why do you want the 386 BB? (if the Sota board gives you plenty of speed). Thanks for your time. Michel
#73406From: RON TROYOct 13, 1992 10:12 PM
The 386si really helps the bb run decently. Certain work like fax conversion runs about 6 times faster then the plain xt bb. The newer bb would give me the ability to have extended ram, and free up a slot. If I had the money for a 3000 and a new bb (which I don't) I'd have a much faster, newer system. Ron
#73472From: michel beausejourOct 14, 1992 3:02 PM
Thanks Ron, for the info. Bye Michel
#73512From: Steven D. KapplinOct 14, 1992 10:55 PM
SOTA gives you a speed increase, but you still have an 8 bit machine which is about 1/2 as fast as it would be if it were a 16 bit bus. You also cannot create extended memory, or at least when I was using the SOTA I was never able to get my Intel board to work as extended memory, only expanded. If you have an A2286 (not the A2088), you might cnsider getting an Intel InBoard 386 instead of the SOTA if you have room to put it into a 16 bit slot.
#73592From: michel beausejourOct 15, 1992 9:16 PM
thanks Steven, i have the a2088. I thought that the Sota will give me a big speed increase (it's so slow). I will to think twice. Bye Michel
#73607From: RON TROYOct 15, 1992 10:29 PM
It will help a great deal. Ron
#73657From: Ron LegroOct 16, 1992 7:31 PM
The Sota speed up my 8088 system 5-7 times without 16-bit memory. Very snappy, and quite reliable. The 16-bit memory add-on card for it is somewhat flakey; causes apparent trouble with the hard drive, as if they get out of synch somehow. Maybe it's just my really old Seagate controller, but I didn't have trouble before the RAM card went on board. In any case, the latest drivers from Sota will let you use extended memory as well as expanded, if you can get the daughter memory board to work at all.
#73674From: michel beausejourOct 16, 1992 9:49 PM
is the 16 bit memory card quite expensive? thanks
#73891From: Ron LegroOct 19, 1992 9:28 PM
The 16i memory card (daughter board; it doesn't take up an additional slot) is about $250 new, best I can find. That's with 2 megs expandable to 4 megs. You interested in mine? I'll let it go cheap.
#74008From: michel beausejourOct 20, 1992 8:36 PM
Ron, I'll be interested depending how cheap it is and also if i can find a 386si (also cheap) Bye Michel
#73787From: Steven D. KapplinOct 18, 1992 4:20 PM
Michel, I didn't want to give you the impression it wouldn't give you a speed increase, it certainly will and will make the PC side a lot nicer, but it won't be the equivalent speed of a 16 Mhz 386 16bit bus machine because you won't have the wider bus. I got a typical speed index of somewhere between 7 and 8 times the speed of an XT with the SOTA and the 2088, but when I went to the 16bit 2386 the increase went to 14 to 18 times, reflecting the difference in the bus width and the slightly faster clock on the 2386. If you desire to get the speed increase at the lowest cost, then by all means get the SOTA. It works quite nicely. Remember to run AMOUSE -x, however, with it to get the mouse to work in PC programs.
#73807From: michel beausejourOct 18, 1992 8:50 PM
Thanks Steven for the info ,the 2386 as you said seems to be a better choice but the price is different too. Bye