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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
Dustin Matteson
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.
SovietBear
I 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.
CubicleNate
These 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!
Gary Leigh
You couldn't pay me enough to use an 8088 or SX again. lol Flashbacks of slow and limited software.
Anders Enger Jensen
It's like the manufacturer doesn't know what heck they're doing! Just hilarious! ;)
James Cheese
Despite 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...
LGR
You 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.
John Piscopo
oh man now I want one of those Toshiba Librettos.......so there is no way to slow down the 386?
Steve Lovelace
Glad 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.
LGR
Price has increased by $40 too, yeesh
Ian Scott
The 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.
Nathan (PixelPipes)
It'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!
LGR
I did, and it ran, but the resulting image is incomplete and only shows a few colors: https://imgur.com/i3yaTL1
evistre
Woahhhhhh!
The 8-Bit Guy
You say it is a 32K CGA system. Did you try Plantronics colorplus mode, especially on Petscii Robots?
