Got an IBM Aptiva 2168-A90 \ VOGONS

Got an IBM Aptiva 2168-A90

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First post, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-14, 14:02

oeuvre Offline

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Got this the other day and played around with it a bunch. It's in great shape.

Specs are Pentium 166MHz with 48MB RAM, 4GB Compact Flash card (used a CF to IDE adapter), MWAVE sound card/modem combo, 3COM 3C509B-TPO network card, and a 2MB Trident Providia 9685 PCI graphics card.

The door wasn't functioning properly but I was able to fix it. A piece of plastic where a line of bendable metal curls up to adjust the door had broken off. I replaced it with a small screw and it works perfectly.

http://imgur.com/a/zA2yy

GIF of the door opening http://i.imgur.com/c48WZL3.gif

Some old IBM wallpapers http://imgur.com/a/oDqyN

A lil' video of the machine itself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1wEZvcLg5U

Thanks for looking.

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 1 of 16, by Korax

Posted on 2016-12-14, 19:51

Korax Offline

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Nice!

That's my family's first PC right there, although we had the 75 mhz version - really in great shape!

I remember the blue IBM background and the neat cabinet sliding door.

Excellent pickup! 😀

Reply 2 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-14, 20:22

oeuvre Offline

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Thanks! Just tossed in an 8MB ATI Rage XL PCI gfx card and it's just dandy.

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 3 of 16, by motley6

Posted on 2016-12-15, 05:36

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I love the industrial design of the Aptivas. Nice pick-up!

I was kind of surprised that it took over a minute to boot to desktop. I guess I forgot Windows 95 was that sluggish.

Reply 4 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-15, 14:06

oeuvre Offline

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Would adding cache to those cache slots make a big difference?

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 5 of 16, by keropi

Posted on 2016-12-15, 14:12

keropi Offline

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how much cache does the system have? 512kb?

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Reply 6 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-15, 14:25

oeuvre Offline

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0 ATM

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 7 of 16, by keropi

Posted on 2016-12-15, 15:55

keropi Offline

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then install some, the performance gain is significant

🎵 🎧 ⏳ ⚡ MK1869, PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 8 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-15, 18:54

oeuvre Offline

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Alright, ordered 2x256K sticks

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 9 of 16, by keropi

Posted on 2016-12-15, 18:56

keropi Offline

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2 sticks? what kind of cache does this mobo take? does it have empty DIP sockets (unlikely) , COAST sockets or some custom IBM slot for cache?

🎵 🎧 ⏳ ⚡ MK1869, PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 10 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-15, 19:35

oeuvre Offline

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2 COAST slots

http://i.imgur.com/WS6Lgom.jpg

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 11 of 16, by keropi

Posted on 2016-12-15, 19:40

keropi Offline

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I see. Just make sure they are standard coast modules and you'll be fine 😀
You'll see great improvements in 3D stuff .

🎵 🎧 ⏳ ⚡ MK1869, PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 12 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-17, 15:50

oeuvre Offline

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Added more RAM, now up to 64MB. Replaced the MWave with an Aztech Sound Galaxy modem/sound combo card. It has a Yamaha YMF262 chip!

http://imgur.com/a/luj3u

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 13 of 16, by NJRoadfan

Posted on 2016-12-18, 01:07

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That card is actually called a Packard Bell Sound-144AM. Aztech made it, but it was OEM for PB.

Reply 14 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-18, 04:54

oeuvre Offline

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Yep, it shows up as an Aztech Sound Galaxy after installing the proper drivers. It seems to have a software wave synth on it.

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 15 of 16, by oeuvre

Posted on 2016-12-24, 04:23

oeuvre Offline

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It didn't like the cache I got on eBay for it (COAST module). Apparently IBM machines were super picky for cache modules and usually only worked with IBM branded ones.

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 16 of 16, by Ottersphere

Posted on 2023-08-08, 18:02

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So which IBM COAST Modules did you get that actually did work? I want to upgrade my 2168 from 256 to 512 but can’t find another one that I already have. Will need to buy 2 x 256s.

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