TD-30 a decent buy?
Jim Upchurch
I have a chance to buy a TD-30 (Pentium 100, 64 megs, 2 on board SCSI
connectors with a 1-gig drive installed) at what seems like a reasonable
price. I want to use it as a home NT server -- not a highly demanding
environment -- and to experiment with other software (NT 5.0 betas,
Win95/98 stuff, Linux).
I cannot find much in the way of specs for this machine on Intergraph's
home page. Can someone point the way (I may have missed the info)? I want
to know if this machine has a decent reputation and whether it is a
machine I can use reasoably well even if I cannot find full documentation.
Does it have proprietary setup software of any kind (I probably won't be
able to get this)? Am I locked into dealing with Intergraph on things like
RAM, P-100 chips (if I decide to get a second one), and other cards
(modems, video, etc)?
What kinds of slots (PCI, ISA) does the machine have, and can I disable
the onboard SCSI (for example) if I should decide to install a faster SCSI
card?
Is it possible that paper or online docs are available from Intergraph?
Thanks.
--
Jim Upchurch MCSE
Basmati Systems LLC
pa...@pobox.com
Nik Simpson
Jim Upchurch wrote in message ...
>I cannot find much in the way of specs for this machine on Intergraph's
>home page. Can someone point the way (I may have missed the info)? I want
>to know if this machine has a decent reputation and whether it is a
>machine I can use reasoably well even if I cannot find full documentation.
>Does it have proprietary setup software of any kind (I probably won't be
>able to get this)? Am I locked into dealing with Intergraph on things like
>RAM, P-100 chips (if I decide to get a second one), and other cards
>(modems, video, etc)?
>
This is a pretty standar5d box. The onboard SCSI controllers are Adaptec,
the NIC is AMD, the graphics are matrox Millenium. The chipset used to
implement the dual CPU capability is the Intel Neptune, the same one used in
pretty much all dual Pentium boards of the era. Ram is 72 pin SIMM, nothing
special. The system can be upgraded as far as dual 166MHz.
>What kinds of slots (PCI, ISA) does the machine have, and can I disable
>the onboard SCSI (for example) if I should decide to install a faster SCSI
>card?
If it's the desktop, then it has three PCI slots and two ISA slots in
addition to all the onboard controllers. I think the deskside had 5 PCI
slots.
NT from the standard CD should install without any problems, you can also
check http://www.ingr.com/cust/icssol/drvsrch.asp for any updated drivers.
--
Nik Simpson
Terry Sizemore
I have an upgradded TD-30 (which became a TD-40 after the dual 166 upgrade).
It is the most reliable box I've ever used. Buy it bro!!
Eric Abrams wrote in message <35574A6A...@max.state.ia.us>...
Dmitry A. Meteyko
Our company used such machine, and all I can tell about it is that it works
as usual PC. It's reliable enough, and it seems that it doesn't need any
"proprietary setup software" (except for AMI BIOS setup, invoked by DEL key
after reboot).
I don't know about RAM, but standard Intel CPUs, undoubtedly, can be used.
On the other hand, though, it may be a problem to obtain such an obsolete
CPU (at least, it is a problem in Russia, where I live). But if you can't
obtain 100 MHz CPU, you can install more powerful model of Pentium
(non-MMX!!!), and it will work at 100 MHz.
As to slots, you can open the computer's case and recognize them yourself.
I can tell you that TD-4 has PCI slots and, if I'm not mistaken, EISA
slots.
I don't know what you call "a reasonable price", but, IMHO, TD-30 is just
an usual PC with powerful video card(s) (Weitek or Matrox Millennium, I
don't remember), so it seems not too wise to pay for it more than for such
a PC.
With best wishes,
Dmitry A. Meteyko,
met...@orc.ru
> I have a chance to buy a TD-30 (Pentium 100, 64 megs, 2 on board SCSI
> connectors with a 1-gig drive installed) at what seems like a reasonable
> price. I want to use it as a home NT server -- not a highly demanding
> environment -- and to experiment with other software (NT 5.0 betas,
> Win95/98 stuff, Linux).
>
> I cannot find much in the way of specs for this machine on Intergraph's
> home page. Can someone point the way (I may have missed the info)? I want
> to know if this machine has a decent reputation and whether it is a
> machine I can use reasoably well even if I cannot find full
documentation.
> Does it have proprietary setup software of any kind (I probably won't be
> able to get this)? Am I locked into dealing with Intergraph on things
like
> RAM, P-100 chips (if I decide to get a second one), and other cards
> (modems, video, etc)?
>
> What kinds of slots (PCI, ISA) does the machine have, and can I disable
> the onboard SCSI (for example) if I should decide to install a faster
SCSI
> card?
>
Joe Hatch
I can't say for sure what kind of a buy this TD30 is but I can tell you from
a support stand point that they are pretty damn stable. I have roughly 75
TD's running NT3.5.1 and 4.0. About 35 or so are TD3/30's their uptime is
unsurpassed when compared to the other PC's purchased at the same time.
Now a lot of it depends on environment, usage, administration etc but they
are a good box. I'm writing this note now on a TD3-90, oldest one in the
building and I'm much more apt to screw up the OS knocking my system down
then the system quitting on me. We now have TD220/225's coming in (10
sitting in boxes right now) and I refuse to let go and replace my system.
Good buy? Don't spend all out doors for it! But based on my experience
with other hardware (whose names will remain anonymous) they're a good
machine.
Oh and by the way, all opinions here are solely mine and not the Agencies
I take full responsibility for anything I said here :-).
Best of Luck and Peace,
JH
Joe Hatch
CADD System Administrator, IT Specialist II
Vermont Agency of Transportation
Montpelier, Vermont
Phone: (802)828-2768
FAX: (802)828-2024
EMail: JHa...@www.aot.state.vt.us
> Jim Upchurch wrote:
> I have a chance to buy a TD-30 (Pentium 100, 64 megs, 2 on board SCSI
> connectors with a 1-gig drive installed) at what seems like a reasonable
> price. I want to use it as a home NT server -- not a highly demanding
> environment -- and to experiment with other software (NT 5.0 betas,
> Win95/98 stuff, Linux).
>
> I cannot find much in the way of specs for this machine on Intergraph's
> home page. Can someone point the way (I may have missed the info)? I want
> to know if this machine has a decent reputation and whether it is a
> machine I can use reasoably well even if I cannot find full documentation.
> Does it have proprietary setup software of any kind (I probably won't be
> able to get this)? Am I locked into dealing with Intergraph on things like
> RAM, P-100 chips (if I decide to get a second one), and other cards
> (modems, video, etc)?
>
> What kinds of slots (PCI, ISA) does the machine have, and can I disable
> the onboard SCSI (for example) if I should decide to install a faster SCSI
> card?
>
> Is it possible that paper or online docs are available from Intergraph?
>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> Jim Upchurch MCSE
> Basmati Systems LLC
> pa...@pobox.com
>
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Sparks, Steve
I'll second that! I have been running TD's at my site since the TD-2's
were released. (TD2 was just replaced with a TD25). I have
approximately 20 of various configurations ranging from TD-3, TD-30,
TD-40, TD/Z-4xx, TD2x, TD2xx and watch as others fail and are being
replaced. The TD's keep right on marching on. 80% are connected to a
UPS and are on 24 hours a day,7 days a week. Any failures were with
disk drives that were bought from other vendors and added as additional
drives. Only one TD-30 had an original disk failure and that was
probably because the PC was "slightly" dropped.
I would say 90% of these do high graphics with MGE, Geomedia, ARC/Info,
StudioZ, Photoshop, Microstation, ARCView, Scanning, etc. They range
from 100mhz to 300mhz and have had no problems with external peripherals
such as tape, Jaz, or Zip drives.
The TD's have been an invaluable investment with our agency. I have
many more projected for 1999 to replace those with 100mhz.
Steve Sparks
CAD System Administrator
Transportation Engineering Agency
Newport News, VA
Railroadman
On Sun, 10 May 1998 09:48:41 -0500, pa...@pobox.com (Jim Upchurch)
wrote:
>I have a chance to buy a TD-30 (Pentium 100, 64 megs, 2 on board SCSI
>connectors with a 1-gig drive installed) at what seems like a reasonable
>price. I want to use it as a home NT server -- not a highly demanding
>environment -- and to experiment with other software (NT 5.0 betas,
>Win95/98 stuff, Linux).
>
>I cannot find much in the way of specs for this machine on Intergraph's
>home page. Can someone point the way (I may have missed the info)? I want
>to know if this machine has a decent reputation and whether it is a
>machine I can use reasoably well even if I cannot find full documentation.
>Does it have proprietary setup software of any kind (I probably won't be
>able to get this)? Am I locked into dealing with Intergraph on things like
>RAM, P-100 chips (if I decide to get a second one), and other cards
>(modems, video, etc)?
>
>What kinds of slots (PCI, ISA) does the machine have, and can I disable
>the onboard SCSI (for example) if I should decide to install a faster SCSI
>card?
>
>Is it possible that paper or online docs are available from Intergraph?
>
>Thanks.
>
>--
>Jim Upchurch MCSE
>Basmati Systems LLC
>pa...@pobox.com
I have one or two TD-30s that are in use everyday at my office as CAD
workstations. Compared to the later offerings the TD-30 is not a very
fast performer, but ours have been in service for 2 years and we have
never had a service call. They have both PCI and ISA slots, but I
don't recall the exact number. Ours are also SCSI units. We have
used the Matrox Millenium board, also the on-board Video, and other
cards. Thing to remember is that Intergraph actually makes a prettty
generic machine except for it's being tuned for CAD. You can use any
compatible memory etc.,although Intergraph warns that it "may" degrade
performance. My personal PC at home is a later model TD-25 with a
233MHZ Pentium. You cannot go by the model numbers, Intergraph
changes those almost every quarter it seems. Their newest offering is
a TD-50 LapTop at $1,995 and a TD-100 office automation PC for a
starting price of $950. Prices keep getting lower. I would
personally recommend any Pentium PC Intergraph makes, or has made as a
reasonable buy. Even the TD-1 (486) and the TD-2 (66 Mhz Pentium)
were excellent performers for their day.
jhsu...@dockingbay.com (18 years an Intergraph System manager)