First post, by RJDog
So I'm finally breaking down and building a 386. As it turns out, I already had a 386 motherboard (an M396F of all things, which as I understand is semi-desirable) just missing some key components... like a Multi-I/O card -- that is, serial, parallel, IDE and floppy controller. Now, I've never had to look for one before, so am not really sure what I'm looking for. The 486 I have is an OEM with VLB controller built in to the motherboard, so I've not had to worry about this before.
So, what should I be looking for? Brand? All-in-one or separate serial/parallel and fdd/hdd controllers? Cost effectiveness is a key factor for me.
Also, trying to go for 1989ish build -- do people consider the multi-I/O card a key component of "period correctness" or is it more of a whatever works kind of thing?