What do you guys think of this board?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/486-66MHz-VLB-Motherb … =item4161627363
It's not a bad price for what you're getting. I don't like the fact that the cpu is soldered in....
486slc2 was made by IBM for use in their own motherboards. Part of the licensing agreement they had with Intel stipulated that they could only make chips that soldered directly to the motherboard and not ones that fit in 486 sockets. For that reason alone I'd pass on this one because you'll be stuck at that speed forever. The upgrade cards that come with it aren't especially hard to find, either.
yeah the soldered chip is a definite minus 🙁
it seems like *good* 486 boards hardly ever come up for sale
I tend to agree. Unless you specifically want an SLC2 for whatever reason, they aren't as good as an Intel 486 which aren't too difficult to find really. The Trident video card is really nothing to write home about, Sound Blaster 16's are a dime a dozen and the ISA IDE/IO controller is nothing special either.
I guess its nice that he's tested it and guarantees no DOA, and its all in one complete package ready to go, but still I wouldn't pay what he's asking.
If you are squeamish, don't prod the beach rubble.
It's probably a lot easier to get a pentium board and use a lower-clocked chip like a 90-133
I have an EPOX MVPG3 board I am not using for anything
But somehow that is just not the same 🙁
The 66mhz IBM chips, despite being, in essence, a 386 with internal cache and tweaked to the maximum, had a pretty good reputation. Considering 386 and 486 chips aren't going to get any faster anyways, I'd say go for that board assuming you already have a purpose in mind. From what I've read, the IBM 66mhz SLC2 was actually a pretty decent performer albeit not on the same level as a real 486. Maybe like the bigger, forgotten brother of the 386DX40. Ability to upgrade is a little more important when buying a computer for which parts are still being developed, I think.
However, at $100, I do not think the board is worth it. If the asking price was $20 or less, I'd say go for it. At least where I am, there's no such thing as a 486 computer board worth more than $20.
well - you just helped me make up my mind. If it's a glorified 386, it's probably not what I really want. Thanks guys...
this one is probably a better board:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-I486-DX2-VLB-IS … =item56484c328e
but you don't get sound and video cards 🙁
Surely you can find something cheaper! 😳
try asking on amibay.com I'm sure someone has a spare to sell you for less than half that price.
If you are squeamish, don't prod the beach rubble.
