I have two different ones that I may go for:

http://www.ebay.es/itm/486er-Gigabyte-Highend … #ht_2669wt_1202

http://www.ebay.es/itm/486-Motherboard-Lucky- … f#ht_500wt_1205

Is the Gigabyte a much better board? What are the differences?

I also like this one but it seems the final prince would go pretty up. And as someone said before, I won't spend 100 euros in a board.

http://www.ebay.es/itm/486-PCI-Mainboard-32-M … #ht_1748wt_1190

I'd be really curious why a vintage motherboard collector is selling the Gigabyte board. I tried to find out if there was anything wrong with it, but didn't get a reply. The chipset is also a bit dated and it will need a new RTC. I'm not sure if the Gigabyte board had a socketed RTC, or a soldered one, but that Biostar v3.1 has a socketed DIP RTC. This means the RTC can just be pulled out and a new one put in without soldering.

Is the Benchmarq RTC compatible with the Dallas RTC?

The Biostar board has a working PS/2 port and no PCI/SCSI bus mastering issues in Windows. The drawback is 512 KB cache max. The Lucky Star board has no PS/2 mouse port and 512 KB cache max. For a SiS chipset board with 512 KB max, you are better off with a Tomato 4DPS because it has working PS/2. The Gigabyte board supports 1024 KB L2 cache, but you loose out on the PS/2 mouse port. Aside from cost, it comes down to if you value 1024 KB cache or a working PS/2 port more. The Biostar board works with EDO RAM and has a much newer chipset date. I'm not sure if the Gigabyte board works reliably with EDO RAM and fast memory timings.

feipoa wrote:

I'd be really curious why a vintage motherboard collector is selling the Gigabyte board. I tried to find out if there was anything wrong with it, but didn't get a reply. The chipset is also a bit dated and it will need a new RTC. I'm not sure if the Gigabyte board had a socketed RTC, or a soldered one, but that Biostar v3.1 has a socketed DIP RTC. This means the RTC can just be pulled out and a new one put in without soldering.

Is the Benchmarq RTC compatible with the Dallas RTC?

The Biostar board has a working PS/2 port and no PCI/SCSI bus mastering issues in Windows. The drawback is 512 KB cache max. The Lucky Star board has no PS/2 mouse port and 512 KB cache max. For a SiS chipset board with 512 KB max, you are better off with a Tomato 4DPS because it has working PS/2. The Gigabyte board supports 1024 KB L2 cache, but you loose out on the PS/2 mouse port. Aside from cost, it comes down to if you value 1024 KB cache or a working PS/2 port more. The Biostar board works with EDO RAM and has a much newer chipset date. I'm not sure if the Gigabyte board works reliably with EDO RAM and fast memory timings.

Hi Feipoa, I have been in touch with the seller of the gigabyte board. The board has de following issues:

"Hello,
no problem, English is fine. The board works very good, fast and stable. Only the RAM-Holder-plastic-knobs of 3 RAM banks are broken on the right side. But the modules that I have fit and hold 100% tight in the RAM banks. Please look at the second picture (in large) to see the issue.

It's also in the description that the internal battery of the Benchmarq-Realtime-Clock is empty so the board doesn't keep the BIOS settings right now. So you can replace either the socketed module or modify the module with a holder for CR2032 coin battery. I can do this modification for 5 Euros."

Also I contacted the Lucky Star owner board to know if the Cache was real. The seller said that he didn't know...which makes it possible to be fake cache.

Also Feipoa, what does RTC stand for?

Ok, that makes sence. Now I know why a collector is selling it. I wonder if over months of uptime, will the RAM wiggle loose just enough to break contact of a few edge pins? This would be due to hard drive and fan vibrations. I had a power connector that would wiggle loose after a few days of uptime, although it didn't look disconnected. Maybe this is an issue for this board, or maybe the RAM will stay connected just fine. I don't know.

Yes, either you need to cut open the existing Benchmarq RTC to modify it for a coin cell, or replace the RTC with a DIP socket.

RTC = RealTime Clock.

I would be very surprised if the cahce on that Lucky Star board was not real. It does show 256 KB on the POST screen. I thought only PC Chips did POST screen mods for fake cache. If by the off chance, the cache is fake, '512' cache chips are easy to come by for cheap. I cannot tell if the cahce is soldered in or not.

I had a similar issue with weakened metal clips. It was either on an IBM or a Compaq board where 2 of the dram slots had plastic retainers and the other 2 had metal ones. Cost-cutting moves or adding slots as an afterthought... I don't know. But it was relatively easy to clip all ram modules together from above and the two firm slots hold the whole block together.

I can vouch for Fabian, if he says a configuration works, it does. Yet in this case, he ought to consider a little discount, I guess...

@Pingaloka

If you are interested in a 486 motherboard PM me.

About the Gigabyte board, it looks like at the soldering the RTC is somewhat lifted by the drop shadow, so probably is socketed.
But if you look between the EEprom and the ISA slots there is a mount for a holder for CR2032 coin battery at BT1 connection. super handy and easily placeable.
Also the RAM slots look ok, the clamps are a bit bend but you can restore it with a fine screwdriver or pliers, no big deal.
Also looking at J12 near the big keyboard DIN connector it seems there is a PS2 header missing there, maybe it works when you solder pins in there?

About the Luckystar board, i looked up close and i see 100% sure there are 5 socketed Cache chips there, so replacing is no issue.

Can anyone tell me from here who is bidding on the Biostar board, in any case i am.
If some of you still are i will stop it as i told already i also like to keep money in my pocket and i tend bid overpaying my budget a lot.

I am not bidding on any of these motherboards - way too expensive.

I might try for the biostar, to replace the shuttle 433.
I'll see where it goes and decide in the last 5 mins, as usual.

I own 2 Lucky Star's. One rev D and one rev F. Both have real cache.

OMG the Biostar sold for 112,50 euros 😜

Imagine what it will sell for in 10 more years :)

I think it's quite interesting how some things can change from junk to collector's item in a short period of time. Did anyone pay >€100 for a 486 board in the early 2000's? 😀

JaNoZ wrote:

OMG the Biostar sold for 112,50 euros 😜

The Biostar is one of the best 486 motherboards and a lot of people know it. I lucked out with one of mine. The seller had a scrap gold lot of motherboards that he had listed a few times with no interest because his opening bid was too high. I noticed the board sitting on the top of the pile in the photo and made him an offer for just the one board and he sold it to me. Strangely enough, I have a Cyrix 5x86 120/4x that I also found in a scrap gold lot sitting in it right now. It pays to keep an eye on those scrap gold lots, you never know what you'll be able to save from being melted down.

I also feel the second a board got the PS/2 port the price skyrocks. If you're less picky on the PS/2 port and can live with a good serial mouse there are other good 486 PCI boards out there. I'm very satisfied with my PC Chips M921 which I got cheap of Ebay.

feipoa wrote:

I'd be really curious why a vintage motherboard collector is selling the Gigabyte board. I tried to find out if there was anything wrong with it, but didn't get a reply.

Maybe you never got a reply because you never sent me a message 😉

However, the Mobo is not longer available for sale.

FGB wrote:

Maybe you never got a reply because you never sent me a message ;)

That's what I get for trying to send an eBay message on German eBay instead of through the English site. I must have accidently hit "cancel" instead of "send".

But you can copy/paste the item nr in the us ebay site right? 😀

Hmm.. I can see my items on eBay.com as well. You should be able to contact me from there.

I know, I was just being lazy and clicked on the posted Spanish link. I obviously guessed the wrong button clicks. Learned my lesson.