Still have an old 33.6k ISA modem in one computer. Don't have dial-up anymore, but it still works nicely for caller ID. Also have a couple decent ISA Sound Blasters around that I've used off and on in some older systems. I was once known as PC Freak. I always hated that name.

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Yeah, exactly, i've seen a lot of instances where ISA was actually *better* for some things..like soundcards, which don't really need the extra wide path or speed...unless you've got a server or something, you'll likely have found that slot space is limited and you have to decide what goes where (as well, as the fact some stuff won't work in some slots)..ive often used the ISA for soundcards and ethernet..i've a lot of older 3com cards and have found that there really isn't as much of a speed difference between PCI and ISA for Ethernet as one would think (OK, yeah , with P4's, but how many P4's have you seen with ISA slots..?)

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I have one ISA card in my main pc and using an ISA Soundblaster16 and an ISA 3com network card in my client pc. I wouldn't be without them. I too have at least one ISA card for every function there is including alot of multi-controller cards. I have some ISA sound cards with CD Rom support, both IDE and SCSI support. I'd never give them up so if my pc's take a dump I'm gonna be one of those out there hunting down those rare ISA motherboards.

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Isa cards I have and still use: Soundcards: - 2x Gravis Ultrasound PnP - Gravis Ultrasound Classic - Terratec Maestro - Turtle Beach Maui - Creative Soundblaster 16 PnP - a bunch of other soundcards like Aztech etc. I also use a bunch of 10 mbit Network Interface cards (3Com, Intel, Realtek, SMC etc.), mostly Combo cards from which I use the BNC connector for my home network (no hub and less messy cables needed). I also have some hardware modems from 2400 baud until 56k6 V90 which I now only use for faxing (which is only 14k4 at maximum, so the older cards are even better for this). Still have to install and use my Fast AV Master video capture card, which is also ISA and very high class. I also have a lot of video cards and the best of them is a Trident 8900 which is capable of 24 bit color. Sadly I put my Diamond Speedstar in a system which I have sold (but maybe i ll get it back someday from the person who has it now). ISA cards in general perform very well, mostly because of the intelligence on the card itself so they dont slow down the processor, like most new cards do. For newer type of cards the only improvement in performance I have noticed is for video cards........

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I have a question about ISA cards. Specifically ISA sound cards. It's a little confusing so here goes: My sons floppy drive has not worked for over a year now. Can't figure out what is up with it. He does have a burner so it's not a huge problem. And I created a cd rom "Drive A" floppy for him so when I format it still works. I just copied all the files from the boot disk onto a cd rom (just the way the were), and then go into bios and set it to boot from cd rom. It comes up that the cd rom drive is: letter A. Anyway my question is: I have been told that if you are using an ISA sound card that it can cause this problem with the floppy. The floppy (if I install it) always goes into (MS-DOS Compatibility mode). I am using an ISA Soundblaster 16PNP in his pc. Is it worth a shot for me to go purchase a PCI sound card to try this? I have so many ISA sound cards, I hate to put good money out for a PCI if I don't need to. Can anyone help me?

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im just wondering, can someone fill me in. what exactly are the bus speeds of pci and isa slots? i thought AGP gets 150mbps but that may be wrong what is painfully obvious to one person might be just painful to the other

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This info may be useful to you: http://www.quatech.com/support/comm-over-isa.php The link at the bottom will bring up a windows with info on ISA and PCI, among others. I was once known as PC Freak. I always hated that name.

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thats a lot more than i wanted to know lol so what're the specs on AGP and the new pci express? ^(-.-)~~~]>:}>

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nvrmnd i answered my own questions http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1087&page=1 ^(-.-)~~~]>:}>

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Yes I use ISA cards on a number of pcs running a number of OSs. You know the old saying-If it aint broke..... Have a number of spare mobos with ISA slots too. I just love our throw away society ;).

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