Recognising that the Intel Corp 80486 delivers performance closer to that of a mid-range VAX than that of a typical personal computer, Fox Computers Inc of Big Bear Lake, California – no relation to Fox Software Inc of Ohio – has built around it what it calls the MicroFrame, describing the resulting product as an industrial full-tower configuration with the industry’s fastest 32-bit bus and an architecture optimised for Microsoft Corp’s Windows 3.0 and New Technology – NT – operating system. Company president Richard Fox claims MicroFrame is the first 32-bit non-RISC computer able to take full advantage of Windows and puts the hard disk’s average access time at 300mS with data throughput of over 12M-bytes per second. MicroFrame comes standard with a total 2Gb primary and secondary 32-bit storage, comprising 32Mb 70nS zero-wait state system memory, expandable to 64Mb; 256Kb 20nS external direct memory access cache; 32-bit SCSI II host input-output adaptor with 4Mb hardware cache and a 1.2Gb SCSI II disk hanging off it, which can be expanded to 14Gb; 680Mb internal CD-ROM drive; 240Mb internal tape back-up system; 3.5 and 5.25 floppy drives; 9,600bps internal facsimile and data modem; 17 Super VGA 17 colour monitor with 1,280 by 1,024 pixel resolution; MS-DOS and Windows. It also supports Unix, Xenix and OS/2 and runs re-compiled IBM Corp RPG II, RPG III and RPG/400 programs. As a file server, the MicroFrame provides 32-bit bus support for parallel processing and multi-tasking, enabling use of up to four 80486 processors. The machine’s price starts at $14,000, and the product is available now.
