NEC Joins EISA Parade with Two New Systems
 
Microbytes Daily News Service
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
NEC, which announced last week that its Home Electronics company
(Wood Dale, IL) and Information Systems company (Boxborough, MA)
would merge into a new entity called NEC Technologies, yesterday
unwrapped four new desktop computers, including two based on the
EISA bus standard. NEC says it expects both EISA machines to be
used as technical workstations for CAD/CAM, 3-D graphics, and
animation, or as network servers.
 
The most powerful new system is the PowerMate 486/25E, an
EISA-bus computer based on Intel's 25-MHz 486 chip with 64K of
additional SRAM cache. The system offers 8 expansion slots (1 for
32-bit memory, 5 EISA slots, and 2 AT-type slots) as well as 5
half-height storage bays. A separate memory bus, independent of
EISA, optimizes system performance, NEC says.
 
The system also has a bus-mastering SCSI controller for the EISA
bus that supports up to 7 SCSI devices and can transfer data at a
33-MHz burst rate. NEC claims the SCSI card is the fastest
multipurpose peripheral controller on the market today.
 
The PowerMate 486/25E will sell in two configurations: with 2M
bytes of 32-bit RAM, a 5.25- or 3.5-inch floppy, and a 20-msec,
118-megabyte hard drive for $11,999; or with the same RAM and
floppy and an 18-msec, 300-megabyte drive for $13,999. Both
models are scheduled to ship in January 1990, and a 600-megabyte
drive is expected in mid-1990.
 
NEC's other new EISA machine is called the PowerMate 386/33E and
is based on a 33-MHz 386 with 64K of SRAM cache and 2 megabytes
of RAM. Like the 486/25E, it offers eight expansion slots, five
storage bays, and the bus-mastering SCSI peripheral controller.
It will also be available in January 1990 in two configurations:
with a 23-msec, 100-megabyte ESDI hard drive for $8499, or with
an 18-msec, 300-megabyte SCSI drive for $10,799.
 
Contact: NEC Technologies, 1414 Massachusetts Ave, Boxborough, MA
01719; (508) 264-8000.
 
                              --- Andy Reinhardt
 
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