It is well-known that Intel developed the 386sx as a more affordable variant of the 80386 (later retroactively called the 386DX), to allow the development of lower-cost 386 systems using 16-bit components from the 286 era. Yet the 386sx has a different socket than the 286, and apparently it's not trivial to make a socket converter between the two. Correct me if I'm wrong on that, though.
So why didn't Intel release the 386sx in a form factor that would allow it to be installed in any 286 motherboard as a drop-in replacement? It would have allowed Intel to sell even more 386sx CPUs, not just to OEMs, but also as upgrade kits to 286 owners wishing to upgrade their systems.
Why introduce a new socket, which required OEMs to develop dedicated motherboards for it? Didn't that at least partially defeat the purpose? It's not like the 386sx had a wider address bus than the 286, right? Weren't they both limited to 16MB RAM (24 bits)?
So what gives? Why a new incompatible socket? And why weren't there many common Overdrive-like 386sx upgrade kits made available back in those days? The ability to future-proof their investments by adding compatibility with 32-bit software through a simple CPU swap (and perhaps a BIOS update) would likely have been an attractive option for many 286 owners.
So why didn't Intel release the 386sx in a form factor that would allow it to be installed in any 286 motherboard as a drop-in replacement? It would have allowed Intel to sell even more 386sx CPUs, not just to OEMs, but also as upgrade kits to 286 owners wishing to upgrade their systems.
Why introduce a new socket, which required OEMs to develop dedicated motherboards for it? Didn't that at least partially defeat the purpose? It's not like the 386sx had a wider address bus than the 286, right? Weren't they both limited to 16MB RAM (24 bits)?
So what gives? Why a new incompatible socket? And why weren't there many common Overdrive-like 386sx upgrade kits made available back in those days? The ability to future-proof their investments by adding compatibility with 32-bit software through a simple CPU swap (and perhaps a BIOS update) would likely have been an attractive option for many 286 owners.
