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In June 1986, AC&P released the 386 Translator.{{sfn|Rhein|1986|p=38}} This was a module that could be plugged into the pin-grid array socket reserved for the 80286 microprocessor on the motherboard of IBM's PC AT or clones of the AT, in order to upgrade them to the newer [[Intel 80386|80386]] by [[Intel]].{{sfn|Chabal|Ranney|1986|p=8}} This product allowed AC&P to beat [[Compaq]] by a slim margin in offering consumers the first means through which they could interact with the 386.{{sfn|Amirrezvani|Rosenbaum|Trivette|1986|p=92}} Compaq released the [[Compaq Deskpro 386|Deskpro 386]], the first PC clone that featured a 386—and which marked the first time a major component to the IBM PC standard was upgraded by a company outside IBM—in September 1986.{{sfn|Warner|1986|p=1}}{{efn|[[Advanced Logic Research]] had announced a PC clone with a 386 alongside AC&P's 386 Translator in the summer of 1986 ({{harvnb|Chabal|Ranney|1986|p=8}}). However, they were beaten to market by Compaq ({{harvnb|Warner|1986|p=1}}).}} The 386 Translator was designed by NDR, a electronics design firm located in [[Corona, California|Corona]], California.{{sfn|Rhein|1986|p=38}} Scheduled for release as soon as Intel started shipping the chip out to computer vendors like AC&P,{{sfn|Whitmore|1986|p=11}} which occurred in mid-July along with Intel shipping production samples of the 386 to consumers,{{sfn|Chabal|Ranney|1986|p=8}} AC&P launched the 386 Translator ahead of time in late June.{{sfn|Rhein|1986|p=38}}
Various companies such as [[Daisy Systems]] and [[Valid Logic Systems]] manufactured software development workstations equipped with the 386 microprocessor and running Intel's own assembler, compilers, and software utilties as early as December 1985, when pre-production batches of 386es were manufactured. However, these workstations were large, cumbersome to set up and expensive, costing several thousands of dollars.{{sfn|Goering|1985|pp=33–34}} The 386 Translator, by comparison, cost $895 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|895|1986|r=0|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) with a 386 included or $395 (${{Inflation|US|395|1986|r=0|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) without.{{sfn|Chabal|Ranney|1986|p=8}} In addition, existing ATs could be equipped with the 386 using AC&P's module, avoiding the need for a dedicated workstation. Counter-intuitive to the nature of an upgrade module, however, the 386 Translator ran an AT computer 10 percent {{em|slower}} than a stock computer with a 286. This was due to the module inserting [[wait state]]s in order for slower AT-grade memory chips to work with the faster 386. Aside from this performance penalty, the 386 Translator allowed software developers with ATs to get a head start on learning 386's new [[virtual 8086 mode]].{{sfn|Nelson|1986|p=32}} According to David Springer of NDR, the 386 Translator was also
[[File:American 386 Turbo.jpg|thumb|386 Turbo, showing ISA card with 386 and processor module connected via two ribbon cables]]
Just three months after the release of the 386 Translator, in November, AC&P introduced the 386 Turbo expansion board. Like the Translator, the Turbo board allowed users to upgrade their existing ATs with the 386 processor, this time with the promise of increased speed over the AT's 286 processor. The company touted a 400 percent increase in software performance and claimed that the Turbo could double the clock speeds of ATs running between 6 and 12 MHz.{{sfn|Staff writer|1986c|p=16}} The company later revised their claim to only double the clock speeds of 6 and 8 MHz 286s,{{sfn|Miller|1986|p=77}} as 386 processors at the time were not rated for 24 MHz.{{sfn|Satchell|1987b|p=56}} The 386 Turbo allowed users to switch the clock speed of the 386 on the fly, and it also included 1 MB of [[cache memory]].{{sfn|Staff writer|1986c|p=16}}
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