TANDY CORPORATION ENHANCES 80386 COMPUTER LINE WITH 20MHz TANDY 4000 LX PERSONAL COMPUTER July 27, 1988 FORT WORTH, Texas--Tandy Corporation, the leading manufacturer of PC compatibles, today expanded its 80386-based family of personal computers by unveiling its fastest AT-compatible ever offered, the Tandy 4000 LX computer. In addition, the current Tandy 4000 personal computer has been enhanced. The new Tandy 4000 LX computer uses the high-speed 20 megahertz (MHz) Intel 80386 microprocessor and comes standard with 2 megabytes (Mb) of 80-nanosecond random access memory (RAM) utilizing highly-reliable, single in-line memory modules (SIMMs). Today's introduction offers customers a clear choice in 80386-based computers between the AT bus architecture on the 4000 LX and the IBM Micro Channel-type architecture used in the Tandy 5000 MC personal computer. The 4000 LX is designed to be expanded as the customer's needs grow, operating as a single-user PC running MS-DOS 3.3 or MS OS/2 operating systems, or as the engine of a multi-user system such SCO XENIX 386 operating system. The speed and expandability of the 4000 LX also make it an ideal file server in a 3Com or TandyLink connectivity environment. Furthermore, the support of powerful video options, such as VGA, EGA and CGA, also make it an effective engineering workstation or desktop publishing system. Standard configuration of the 4000 LX includes a 3.5-inch, 1.44 megabyte (Mb) floppy disk drive, a socket for an optional 20MHz 80387 math coprocessor and eight expansion slots (six 16-bit and two 8-bit). The LX achieves maximum performance at zero wait states by using a memory management scheme that interleaves data between two banks of memory. A 32-bit Tandy-designed memory expansion slot is also included for high- performance memory accesses. The optional memory expansion board allows for maximum memory configuration of 16Mb using 1Mb SIMMs or 8Mb using 256Kb SIMMs. Two open 5.25-inch half-height drive slots and an optional non-accessible 3.5- inch drive slot allow the customer to choose from a wide range of storage options selecting the configuration which best meets the computing needs of the business. Tandy's 5.25-inch storage device slots incorporate a new rail system so that installation of these drives is as easy as sliding them into a slot and connecting the ribbon cable. Storage options include 3.5-inch, 720 kilobyte (Kb) or 1.44Mb floppy disk drives; 5.25-inch, 360Kb or 1.2Mb floppy disk drives; 20Mb, 65 millescond (ms); 40 Mb, 40ms; and 40Mb or 70Mb, 28ms standard hard disks as well as a 40Mb tape backup. Tandy has expanded its mass storage options this year to include five types of Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) devices: 40Mb or 80Mb, 19ms hard drives; 170Mb or 344Mb, 16ms hard drives; and a 150Mb tape backup. The 4000 LX also incorporates a new, 101-key enhanced keyboard with tactile feedback, parallel port, asynchronous serial port, and keylock. Designed and manufactured by Tandy in Fort Worth, the 4000 LX follows the company's tradition of innovative pricing with its suggested retail price of $3,999. The Tandy 4000 personal computer, introduced in 1987, is a 16MHz 80386-based computer which has been enhanced to support an optional 16MHz 80387 coprocessor for processing math intensive applications with greater speed. With a suggested retail price of $2,599, the Tandy 4000 computer includes 1Mb of memory expandable to 16Mb. "Tandy continues its reputation of applying innovative technology to products in order to provide excellent value to meet the needs of our customers," said John V. Roach, chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president of Tandy Corporat ion. "The Tandy 4000 family of personal computers reiterates this philosophy and Tandy's continued commitment to being a leader in state- of-the-art, high-quality personal computer workstations." The Tandy 4000 LX (Cat. No. 25-5100) and Tandy 4000 personal computers (Cat. No. 25-5000) are available at Radio Shack Computer Centers, Plus Computer Centers, and participating stores and dealers nationwide. Tandy is a registered trademark of Tandy Corporation. Radio Shack Computer Center is a registered service mark of Tandy Corporation. TandyLink is a trademark of Tandy Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. IBM and AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Micro Channel is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS, MS and XENIX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. SCO is a trademark of The Santa Cruz Operation.