erformance HP Vectra 486 PC - HP Computer Museum

DesktopEZSA: a winning architecture on theHP Vectra 486 PCThe new HP Vectra 486 PC is Hewlett-Packard's first personal computer thatincorporates the new Extended IndustrStandard Architecture (EISA). EISAis a 32-bit extension to the Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA) and providesnumerous benefits to users.Open standardEISA was developed by a consortium ofnine PC manufacturers. including HP.It is an open standard that has receivedbroad industry support and provides allthe benefits of an open standard: competitivepricing of products, technologicalinnovation, and the freedom tochoose from multiple vendors. By purchasinga PC with an open architecture,EISA users will have the widest varietyof PCs and peripherals from which tochoose to meet their unique computingneeds.EISA on high-performance PCsHP incorporates the EISA standardwhere it makes sense - on the leadingedge of high-power computing. Whilemost users will find sufficient computingpower in HP's 80386-based ISAPCs, the HP Vectra 486 PC provides32-bit flagship power for the mostdemanding power users who work inemerging high-performance solutionssuch as LANs, multiuser databases,networks, transaction processing, andmultiuser applications.Backward compatibilityBecause EISA is an extension of theIndustry-Standard Architecture, it isfully backward compatible with literallythousands of cards and hardware accessoriesthat are on the market today.Users who purchase the HP Vectra 486PC may insiall both ISA as well as newEISA boards. The backward compatibilityof EISA also provides a smoothmigration path for users who wish tomove from ISA to EISA PCs. This is instark contrast to IBM's Micro Channelarchitecture, which is incompatiblewith ISAIAT accessories.EISA performance benefitsThe EISA architecture providesnumerous technological benefits thatprovide performance or ease-of-useenhancements:Support of bus masters - allowsperipherals to off load the mainprocessor for faster throughputDirect Memon Access (DMA)capability - improves overall systemperformanceEISA Cotlfiguration Utility - facilitatesautomatic configuration ofoption boardsFaster data transfer rates (32- versus16-bit)EISA is a winning architecture on theHP Vectra 486 PC which gives usersthe technological and performanceedge.DesktopEISA solutwnsWith the introduction of Hewlett-Packard's first EISA system this fall,there will be EISA add-on cards availablefrom a variety of independenthardware vendors. These EISA solutionswill most likely be in the networking,multiuser, video, and hard diskaccess areas.The majority of these will be 32-bitbus master cards. Bus mastering, whichis not available on 16-bit ISA cards,allows the EISA card to use the CPUresource more efficiently.Hewlett-Packard will perform somecompatibility testing on a subset ofEISA cards and they will be listedin the Technical Reference Guide(Blue Book).