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Is 486SX 33 worth the time?

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First post, by Kaiketsu

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I basically acquired an old beat up PC which lacks RAM and processor is just a 286, which IIRC didn't work too well with many games of the 90+ era (had one as a 7 yo kid and some games were sloooooow).

However, I can buy a working 486SX 33mhz for like 10$, question is - is it even worth the fuss?

The idea is to prepare myself a good retro PC, because dosbox doesn't have the atmosphere, and I need an old CRT anyway for those games, they look so awkward on modern screens.

I also think that I should use a 30-pin SIMM ram, whcih I can buy for 8 bucks (4 MB IIRC) - good idea?

Best part is that the 3,5" & 5,25" seem intact & working, saves me a lot of hassle, duh.

I'm mostly interested in playing some awesome games from my childhood, such as Prehistorik 2, Xenon 2 or stuff like that.

Reply 1 of 8, by PhilsComputerLab

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I think it would make a great machine! For $10 absolutely!

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Reply 2 of 8, by kixs

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Just buy it 😉

You can always swap the cpu for DX2-66/80 later... if current cpu isn't soldered.

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Reply 3 of 8, by Kaiketsu

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I guess I will, then! but, will it fit? i can't recall if 286 and 486 had different sockets. I think not, but not too sure about it.

Also, is 4 MB RAM enough? Or should I buy two of those? 7-8$ for 4 MB seems rather fine?

Reply 4 of 8, by alexanrs

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Oops, did you mean a 486SX processor or the whole machine? If its just the processor then only buy one if you intend to build an entire early 486 machine for it. 286s and 486s use different sockets. There are some not-that-rare "Mate-It 486" kits that comes with a 486-class CPU and can be installed on a 286 board, but they'd never perform as well as a true 486 PC (lower bus width and restricted to ISA only) anyway, so I'd never recommend one of those instead of a true 486 PC. A 286 is more of a late 80s machine, with stuff in the very early 90s catering for it as well.

Reply 5 of 8, by Kaiketsu

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Damn... different sockets mean I have to scrap the thing entirely, save for discs and FDD drives I guess :<

Reply 6 of 8, by alexanrs

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Wait, what?! Never scrap a 286 that is working well. Sell it instead! Those are not that common anymore. God knows I can't find one for a good price here in Brazil. 286s is one of the speed grades you can't easily get out of a Socket 7 platform by disabling caches.

Reply 7 of 8, by kixs

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I guess I misunderstood the problem. If you have a 286 motherboard, you can't upgrade it to 486. You have to replace the whole motherboard. Depends on the 286 motherboard, you might be able to swap it with someone for a working 486 if that what you're after.

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Reply 8 of 8, by chinny22

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Sounds like I'm roughly into the same as you. Got into computers round 1995.
For me 286 is to slow for anything I want to play but they are worth good money 😀

Depending on the PC it may be worth selling it as a whole unit, which will help pay towards a 486 as they aren't cheap either.
Otherwise I'd sell the Motherboard/CPU/Cards (You will most likely want better video, I/O and whatever else it has for your 486 then what the 286 comes with) but keep the case as AT cases are also getting rare.

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