snorg wrote:So I recently picked up a 386DX-40 motherboard and 286-20 chip that I am planning on using with a motherboard that I had on hand […]
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So I recently picked up a 386DX-40 motherboard and 286-20 chip that I am planning on using with a motherboard that I had on hand.
Here is what I am thinking for the 386DX-40:
8X-CDROM or maybe a CDRW (would a DVD-RW even work??)
8mb or maybe 32MB of RAM (8 30 pin sockets!! Yay!)
SCSI Floptical drive
3.5" floppy disk
Gotek emulator
Soundblaster AWE32
ATI VGA Ultra
2GB or 4GB compact flash HD
80387
OS: some flavor of OS/2 or maybe just DOS
286-20 system
4MB RAM in 30 pin simms
3.5" floppy
5.25" floppy (at some point)
Gotek emulator
Soundblaster of some type
Trident VGA (not sure if it has 256k or 512k)
1-2GB compact flash HD
DOS 5 and GEM or Geoworks
80287-10 (wish I could find a 20 but I doubt that's possible)
Not sure if I want to bother with an optical drive on this one...
I can't say anything regarding the 286 that you wish to build. The 386, now that I have some comment's on.
First up. This sounds like a nice build on the paper. And yes. You can build it with a DVD drive as long as it's compatible.
Here I am thinking in terms of SATA/PATA converters and stuff. Any PATA DVD drive should work.
The old cdrom drives are hard to find in working condition, and if you can get a hold on a PATA DVD drive. Go for it.
Regarding Os/2. Then track down a copy of Os/2 2.1 as Warp 4 might be too demanding.
It came out during the years of 1993/94 or something, and back then, it was all 486 anyway.
Try the Os/2 2.1 and Dos 5.0/6.22 on that 386. Or have them both installed.
For CF cards. I have had some issues with a 4gb card on a 386. A 512mb and lower was issue free on my 386.
You might consider a +4gb SCSI solution instead, no bigger than 6 or 8gb.
Just keep in mind, that in the times of the 386, even 512mb HDD was for the rich people.
120mb was what people had in the days of late-386 and early-486. Some had 250mb.
512mb was just too large, and it was only by 1995 that 800mb/1GB became common to buy as an upgrade drive.
My 486dx2-66 was treated with a nice 800mb drive in 1995. (Quantum). Shure I wanted 1gb, I just had not enough
money to buy that large one. I just wanted a large drive, and so, 800mb was the limit for me at that time.
Speaking of large sizes. It was common to have 2mb of ram in a 386. 486 was common with 4mb.
8mb in a 386 will let it fly. Yeah... Good choice.
Don't eat stuff off a 15 year old never cleaned cpu cooler.
Those cakes make you sick....
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