Computers With New and Faster Chip Introduced : Technology: AST, Advanced Logic unveil machines featuring Intel’s Pentium microprocessor, 40% speedier than the 486. Other makers will be heard from soon.

AST Research Inc. and Advanced Logic Research Inc., rival makers of personal computers, say they’re ready for the age of Pentium.

Both companies Monday introduced a series of computers that use the Pentium, the speedy new computer chip from Intel Corp. Pentium machines are at least 40% faster than Intel’s previous top-of-the-line microprocessor--the main computing unit of a PC. Dozens of other computer companies are expected to announce machines this week that will be available in July.

“You’ll see introductions of all colors and stripes,” said Bill Greenlund, product marketing director at AST’s Irvine headquarters.

The Pentium chip, which has 3.1 million transistors, marks another departure in the age of PCs. In 1982, the fastest Intel chip could scan the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica in 45 seconds. By 1989, the 486 chip (1.2 million transistors) could do the job in four seconds.

“This technology is defining the high end of the personal computer technology envelope,” said Safi Qureshey, chief executive of AST. “It will not replace the 486, but it will work its way down from the high end of the market as the prices go down and volumes rise.”

The initial models based on Pentium processors won’t be cheap. The prices are expected to fall as more computer buyers shift from 486 technology to the Pentium--the same kind of growth curve that the 486 chip saw over the 1985-era 386 chip.

The 386 chips held sway until about 1991. The life cycle of the 486 chip was much faster, partly because Intel’s competitors began to launch clone chips. For computer companies, making the transition from old lines to the new often means the difference between success and financial disaster.

Advanced Logic Research on Monday introduced two lines of computers ranging in price from $2,495 to $5,000. The company also offered an upgrade module for existing machines for $2,395. Dave Kirkey, vice president of worldwide marketing at the company’s headquarters in Irvine, said the price was aggressive for the features offered.

“We’re not betting the company on this product line,” said Kirkey, who bristled at a question about whether the company’s future earnings are at stake. For the past three quarters, ALR has been cutting its costs to stay profitable.

Competitor AST introduced three computers, which can be upgraded from 486 chips to Pentium chips, for prices ranging from $5,500 for a basic machine to $36,000 for a computer that can use four processors at the same time.

At those prices, it will take some time before most computer buyers upgrade to the new technology, officials at both companies said.