weedeewee wrote on 2021-04-13, 18:28:

fosterwj03 wrote on 2021-04-13, 18:20:

I just watched the Youtube video below about a micro-DOS build and it reminded me of this discussion. He used a processor module with a custom PCB for IO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJEp4ZUG7BI

fyi, you mean rasteri in this thread Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Yup, same one. I suspect an ATX board would be a bit less complex if you didn't bother to integrate an on-board sound solution (assuming the designer intended to use expansion boards for sound).

rasteri is using off-the-shelf embedded modules from ICOP to build his mini DOS gaming PCs. These modules usually sell for at least $200 new; some sell for more than $1000. He uses these devices for his job, so I imagine he's getting a discount or using extras or spares. The pricing has nothing to do with performance or capabilities, and everything to do with the realities of the industrial computing market.

I was lucky to get a Vortex86 DX3 PC/104 board for under $100 on eBay once. I pounced when I saw that listing because I knew what these boards usually cost. These are fun boards, don't get me wrong, but you would not want to build an ATX or MicroATX board around these modules, because of that cost. I'm investigating the Vortex86 DX3 as the system-on-chip for my HDMI DOS Gaming Console project, but that would use the chip directly, not as a module on a carrier board.

LightStruk wrote on 2021-04-13, 19:54:

rasteri is using off-the-shelf embedded modules from ICOP to build his mini DOS gaming PCs. These modules usually sell for at least $200 new; some sell for more than $1000. He uses these devices for his job, so I imagine he's getting a discount or using extras or spares. The pricing has nothing to do with performance or capabilities, and everything to do with the realities of the industrial computing market.

I was lucky to get a Vortex86 DX3 PC/104 board for under $100 on eBay once. I pounced when I saw that listing because I knew what these boards usually cost. These are fun boards, don't get me wrong, but you would not want to build an ATX or MicroATX board around these modules, because of that cost. I'm investigating the Vortex86 DX3 as the system-on-chip for my HDMI DOS Gaming Console project, but that would use the chip directly, not as a module on a carrier board.

True, but I wonder what the cost of old, but newly refurbished boards will get to in the future. These modules, when coupled with a brand-new motherboard and power supply, may offer a great value for those looking for an authentic 486 experience using parts that could last years.

I just spent $350 on a Core i7-11700, so $x00 for a CPU/Memory Controller/IO package isn't unheard-of.

"ALEKS" here has designed his own hardware (backplane, cpu board, graphics & i/o card etc): Re: EXCELGRAPH - ISA Video Display Controller

That stuff isn't trivial, his build logs are very impressive and interesting to read. There are also BOMs and schematics: https://alexandrugroza.ro/microelectronics/index.html

I would also be interested in a modern 486 board if the price stays "reasonable" 😀