AST EXPANDS POWER PREMIUM DESKTOP 'WINDOWS' SERIES WITH ENTRY-LEVEL
SYSTEMS; OFFERS INCREASED PERFORMANCE AT LOWER PRICES THAN EARLIER LINE

IRVINE, Calif., June 8, 1992 -- AST Research Inc. today rounded out its
newly introduced Power Premium computer line with three new entry-level
systems featuring increased performance at lower prices than offered in
its earlier Premium II desktop series.

Premium VGA integrated high-performance video for optimum performance in
Windows environments; an EISA bus with downward ISA compatibility; AST
FlashBIOS, a simplified software BIOS upgrade; and AST's Cupid-32
upgradeability as well as support for Intel's chip-level upgrade
technology are key features of AST's Power Premium systems.

The Power Premium 4/25s (486SX/25MHz technology), 3/25 (386/25MHz) and
3/25s (386SX/25MHz) join AST's Power Premium 4/50d, 4/33 and 3/33 systems,
featuring 486DX2/50, 486/33 and 386/33 Intel microprocessors,
respectively.

The Power Premium 3/25s and 4/25s introduced today offer endusers a 25
percent CPU performance increase at up to 26 percent less cost than AST's
earlier Premium II comparable desktop systems.

"AST's Power Premium systems are the 'ultimate' Windows machines," said
Larry Fortmuller, director of high performance systems. "While the Power
Premium 3/25s is an entry-level machine, our testing results show it to
outperform competitive 486DX-level systems in the PC Magazine Labs Windows
Benchmark, Graphics WINMARK Version 2.50."

WINMARK is the weighted geometric mean of twelve Windows graphics
operations that are most frequently used by major Windows applications.

The Power Premium desktops feature integrated Premium VGA Graphics
enhancements designed around Western Digital's WD9OC31 chip with hardware
cursor and BitBLT technology for highly accelerated video performance.

WINMARK Benchmarks were performed by AST using Windows 3.0 in 640 x 480
resolution with 256 colors on standard, production model 33MHz 486DX
systems with no upgrades, in addition to the 25MHz 386SX-based AST Power
Premium 3/25s. Results listed below show AST's Power Premium 3/25s
outperforming all competitive machines tested:

PC Magazine Labs Windows Benchmark Version 2.50 
Graphics WINMARK Results 

AST Power Premium 4/33     8.01 million WINMARKS 
AST Power Premium 3/25s    4.59 million WINMARKS 
NEC's PowerMate 486/33i    3.25 million WINMARKS 
IBM PS/2 Model 95 486/33   2.86 million WINMARKS 
Compaq Deskpro 486/33M     2.05 million WINMARKS 
Dell PowerLine 433DE       1.43 million WINMARKS

The Power Premium's high resolution video modes -- up to 1024 x 768 with
256 colors -- and fast refresh rates -- 72Hz -- enhance display crispness
and eliminate display flickering for reduced eye strain. More than 32,000
colors can be displayed simultaneously for photographic quality graphics.

The additions to the Power Premium line have been introduced at the
following suggested retail prices:

Power Premium 4/25s (available in July) 
   Model 3v with 3.5" floppy             $2,195
   Model 83V with 80MB hard drive         2,595
   Model 213V with 210MB hard drive       2,995

Power Premium 3/25 (available in June) 
   Model 3V with 3.5" floppy drive       $1,995
   Model 83V with 80MB hard drive         2,395
   Model 213V with 210MB hard drive       2,795

Power Premium 3/25s (available in June) 
   Model 3V with 3.5" floppy drive       $1,595
   Model 83V with 80MB hard drive         1,995
   Model 213V with 210MB hard drive       2,395

"Taking advantage of Intel's price cuts in 486SX chips and AST's increases
in production volumes, we are able to deliver 486 technology at prices
less than what users are used to paying for a 386 product," said
Fortmuller. "Also, the systems are designed to protect a customer's
investment by offering a comprehensive upgrade path."

In addition to integrated video and AST FlashBIOS, standard features of the
EISA-based systems include 4MB of RAM on the 4/25s model and 2MB of RAM on
the 3/25 and 3/25s. Memory on all models is expandable to 80MB total with
up to 16MB on the processor board. All systems feature the Cupid-32
processor board populated by the processor, first complement of memory and
cache memory. AST's optional FASTboard upgrade kits allow users to upgrade
from the 386SX to 486DX2/50 level.

The Power Premium is housed in a small-footprint chassis. Support for three
floppy-type devices, two serial, one parallel and one PS/2 compatible
mouse port and an IDE hard drive interface are integrated on the
motherboard. This high level of integration saves valuable expansion
slots.

The systems feature five drive bays and six expansion slots. One slot is
used by the processor board; the remaining five are EISA/ISA compatible.

Optional high resolution SVGA monitors, featuring fast refresh rates, match
the characteristics of the video subsystem. The monitors meet the Swedish
low-radiation standards and feature anti-glare, anti-static screens. The
SVGA-LR option is offered in 14- or 17-inch models, with suggested retail
prices of $545 and $1,295, respectively.

All products feature a one-year parts and labor warranty. AST provides a
toll-free technical hotline, AST On-Line! worldwide electronic bulletin
board service and AST Info-FAX for up-to-date technical information and
assistance. Also, AST has more than 8,000 trained service technicians in
more than 1,200 Authorized Service Centers nationwide.

AST Research Inc. recently made the Fortune 500 list of the nation's
largest industrial companies designated by Fortune magazine and is one of
the first PC manufacturers to be named to the list since 1986.  The
company reported record sales of $688.5 million for the 1991 fiscal year
ended June 28, 1991.  This compares to sales of $533.8 million for fiscal
year 1990.

The company's product lines include the Premium, Bravo, Advantage! and
Premium Exec families providing server, desktop and notebook
configurations.

AST is represented in more than 100 countries and operates 39 subsidiaries
and sales offices worldwide. AST Research corporate headquarters is
located at 162 15 Alton Parkway, P.O. Box 19658, Irvine, Calif.
92713-9658.  Telephone:  (714) 727-4141 or (800) 876-4278.  Fax:  (714)
727-9355.

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