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Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 5:46 pm
by caluser2000
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/vint ... 014064.htm

Brings back some memories. My first x86 machine was PC General 286/16 1meg of ram was $100 a pop- WHAT A DEAL!!!;)
A naft fdd is hardly a show stopper to most x86 fans here I'd imagine and it boots to the win95 desktop.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 9:22 pm
by matsondawson
Ha, I used to work at PC-General in the Pentium-1 era, what a crap hole it was.
The used to take the machines they had just sent out that came back not working, and parts them all back into stock.
Return rate was ridiculous.
I used to work until 12 midnight, sometimes to 2 or 3am to fill orders for minimum wage.
Number of cuts I got on those old cases is ridiculous.
I remember one year they took us to a meeting to show us the managers had all been to a retreat in Taupo and we should watch the video of how much fun they had, followed by the revealing of the new "Mission Statement", and I tell no lie the line "You don't come to work to get paid"
I failed that year at uni, because I was tired, poor and depressed.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 10:45 pm
by arjoll
Aah, PC General - cheap and nasty stuff, and they liked the SLC/DLC processors. I always cringed when I had to install accounting software for a client that had one of those! I stuck with TL Systems in that era - they were generally pretty good machines.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 6:50 am
by SpidersWeb
Eck, DLC, I'm guessing the LC stands for low cost because they're a pumped up 386DX.

Nice package though, loving that CDROM. The best I have is a Creative twin speed. If it was local, I'd be tempted just for that drive.

Edit: ah I see the original DLC CPU comes with it, not in it, so that's good :) I wondered why he said 486DX2 and DLC in the same advert.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 5:29 pm
by caluser2000
My 286 system lasted well and had the flip top lid. Looks like the board would take 386 chips I'd imagine so down grading to that class of chip would be possible if you wanted to. A few manufactures made 386/486 boards. The level 1 cache on the DLCs gave them a bit of an edge and you could fit them to boards that support only 386 cpus. And where certainly better than the early Intel 486SX chips. Wonder what 486DX2 it's got?

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 6:00 pm
by SpidersWeb
Flip-top lids = the best thing ever.


Another General has arrived.

This one is an antique apparently.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/vint ... 389559.htm

That case looks like new.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 6:14 pm
by caluser2000
Lol. Where's all the TP machines at? All recycled? At on the second one cpu replacement will be a doodle. If it was mine the first thing I'd do is slap a nic and sound card in it.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:23 pm
by SpidersWeb
caluser2000 wrote:Lol. Where's all the TP machines at? All recycled? At on the second one cpu replacement will be a doodle. If it was mine the first thing I'd do is slap a nic and sound card in it.


Yeah TP is the brand I remember most behind PC Direct.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:28 pm
by caluser2000
SpidersWeb wrote:
caluser2000 wrote:Lol. Where's all the TP machines at? All recycled? At on the second one cpu replacement will be a doodle. If it was mine the first thing I'd do is slap a nic and sound card in it.


Yeah TP is the brand I remember most behind PC Direct.
All much the same in some respects. Got given a TP 386 about 6 months ago but the mobo was doa so stripped it out. The case is still out in shed. Got a socket 7 board I might slap in it. Has some IBM something cpu in it at the moment.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:45 pm
by SpidersWeb
Ah yeah I forgot that IBM teamed up with Cyrix "IBM 6x86" or something like that?

I have a 386DX/40 board here, but it's completely non-responsive, battery acid has eaten it quite badly.
Reminds me to remove the battery out of my 33 before that gets worse :S

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:51 pm
by caluser2000
SpidersWeb wrote:Ah yeah I forgot that IBM teamed up with Cyrix "IBM 6x86" or something like that?
Yeah that's the one. First one I'd come across. The boards got onboard everything plus 4 ISA slots and 3 pci Has one of those big com ports you plug the keyboard into too ;)

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 9:05 pm
by SpidersWeb
haha excellent

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2013 4:33 am
by caluser2000
Awake early and in nostalgia mode. Ok it's almost a full moon and my hears on the back of my neck are sticking up. Just doing some sums for the unit in spideys second link post and figure shipping postage outside the Akl area would be in the region of $50 for the north island and $60 at least south island so around $50 for a compete 486 setup really isn't that bad.

I'm guessing the one in Chch will go for at least $40-$50 add shipping charges on to that.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 6:01 pm
by caluser2000
Couldn't resist. What really appealed was that It had the jazzy cdrom drive, documention and the fact it had a remote battery fitted. No peasky RTC/battery combo chip to replace/modify or desolder. The extra cyrix cpu and software were a bonus. Not bothering about the monitors at all, as I have plenty laying about and it'll keep shipping costs down.

Re: Nice 486 package.

PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2013 6:56 am
by SpidersWeb
Good on you. Nice tidy machine and finding those CDROM drives is almost impossible.

So far I only have one machine with that annoying Dallas chip, and it wont power up, so haven't had that problem yet! If you ever need to make an external RTC battery in the future - grab a AA battery pack off tardme, and a CDROM audio cable - 5mins with soldering iron and it's perfect ;)