LGR - Those Weird AliExpress PCs
Added 2023-06-13 23:51:19 +0000 UTCWell this was inevitable! As soon as I saw these funky things online about a month ago I had to grab them. And of course, countless requests to cover them ensued as word spread around social media, tech news, enthusiast groups and so on. I know a number of others have covered them already since theirs arrived sooner, but once I received mine I found I still had things to say in a review.
So we're checking out the Book8088 and Hand386, newly-made retro computers that are/were available for sale on AliExpress. No emulation here, these are DOS PCs running an 8088 and 386SX processor, respectively. Each system uses legacy chips on custom PCBs inside, melded with various open source projects, off-the-shelf components, and injection molded enclosures. They sure are neat! But wow are there a lot of compromises, drawbacks, and odd design decisions.
Comments
Hey, love the video but on an unrelated note just saw that a 32 inch CRT with component input came up for sale on save the crts Facebook link to Facebook marketplace in Asheville. Thought I'd just let ya know.
Dustin Matteson
2023-06-18 17:48:18 +0000 UTCI think you hit the nail on the head, neat but unfinished. $200 is quite a stretch for what's on offer but $200 for a well built 386 palmtop with all the fixin's and easy upgradability doesn't sound too bad.
SovietBear
2023-06-18 08:07:45 +0000 UTCThese are interesting, for sure and I am glad I was able to experience them THROUGH you. They aren't for me but I'm glad they were made, just for the "LOLs". Thanks man!
CubicleNate
2023-06-17 10:17:01 +0000 UTCYou couldn't pay me enough to use an 8088 or SX again. lol Flashbacks of slow and limited software.
Gary Leigh
2023-06-16 12:52:13 +0000 UTCIt's like the manufacturer doesn't know what heck they're doing! Just hilarious! ;)
Anders Enger Jensen
2023-06-14 22:03:39 +0000 UTCDespite the compromises, I'm still really tempted by these little devices. Give me a revision with a slightly better screen, and the extra IO board, and I'd probably snap the Book8088 right up. Not sure about the Hand386's form factor though...
James Cheese
2023-06-14 19:15:40 +0000 UTCYou could through software, disabling cache in the BIOS, the usual methods like that. Just no turbo switch/key so you can’t do it on the fly anytime.
LGR
2023-06-14 15:46:50 +0000 UTCoh man now I want one of those Toshiba Librettos.......so there is no way to slow down the 386?
John Piscopo
2023-06-14 15:03:34 +0000 UTCGlad I'm not the only one who was bothered by the cheap-looking decals. Then again, I peeled the not-so-cheap Intel decal off of my laptop and stuck on my glucometer. The nurse at my doctor's office thought it was hilarious that the little meter had a Core i7.
Steve Lovelace
2023-06-14 12:26:22 +0000 UTCPrice has increased by $40 too, yeesh
LGR
2023-06-14 02:16:38 +0000 UTCThe Book8088 is available for purcahse again, it looks like. I got a Hand386 with plans to make a mini PicoGUS sidecar for it, but now the Book8088 tempts me.
Ian Scott
2023-06-14 02:11:44 +0000 UTCIt's funny the videos I've seen never mentioned the NVIDIA logo on the 386 SOC, and one of the pics shows ALI on the same chip, so at some point after NVIDIA's acquisition of ALI (or rather ULI as they were later known) they re-screened those chips and continued selling them. Interesting!
Nathan (PixelPipes)
2023-06-14 02:01:14 +0000 UTCI did, and it ran, but the resulting image is incomplete and only shows a few colors: https://imgur.com/i3yaTL1
LGR
2023-06-14 00:42:08 +0000 UTCWoahhhhhh!
evistre
2023-06-14 00:13:50 +0000 UTCYou say it is a 32K CGA system. Did you try Plantronics colorplus mode, especially on Petscii Robots?
The 8-Bit Guy
2023-06-14 00:11:09 +0000 UTC
