🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <72299@philabs.Philips.Com> dab@briar.philips.com (David Bryan;6247;3.25;$0201) writes:
>A friend is looking for comments on PC BRAND 386/20 or 386/25 and DELL
>12.5 MHz 286 DELL SYSTEM 210.  I don't think he necessarily wants an
>A/B comparison, but probably is more concerned with getting a low cost
>system that delivers good value for the money.  He will primarily want
>to run business-oriented software not involving any networking
>applications.  Therefore, speed probably is not of the essence, whereas
>"compatibility" and reliability may be.  Please e-mail to me if
>possible, unless you feel your comments are of wide general interest.

Some things you should know about DELL:

The first 12.5 MHz 286 from DELL had, IMHO, a very serious problem: it
ran the I/O BUS at 12.5 MHz right along with the CPU.  Since the original
IBM AT ran the bus at 6 MHz (or 8, early models), this causes setup and 
hold timing violations on peripheral boards that plug into the slots.
What this means, is that most cards won't work in it, or are flaky in it.
Oh, sure, it was fast by that day's standards, but fast & flaky won't
win the race.  A DELL engineer I spoke with recently assured me that they
don't do that anymore, and that all of the rest of their machines run
the bus at 8 MHz.

POINT: Before you buy ANY 286 or 386 or any machine with standard ISA
slots, MAKE DAMN SURE BEFORE YOU BUY THAT THE BUS RUNS AT 6 OR 8 MHz.
If it doesn't, then don't buy it under any circumstances.

Also from DELL: I have read somewhere (sorry, can't remember; take it
for what it's worth) that DELL uses a custom ASIC for their serial
port (built into motherboard?) and that it cannot handle speeds above
9600 baud.  The 8250 used in most clones can handle speeds of up to
38400 baud, although some mfrs. don't recommend it.  That in itself
is not super important for most people, but it makes me wonder what
else they are doing wrong that we don't know about.  That's the bottom
line.

My humble opinions are just that--mine, humble, and just opinions.
I am not (obviously) connected with DELL in any way and I have never
even seen one of their machines.  My employer has nothing to do with
the opinions stated here.  Standard disclaimers, etc.

flames >/dev/null