How much is a 486 worth?

[Mooncalf]

I have an old 486 that I am thinking about getting rid of but I am not sure what it is worth. It has a modem, mouse, keyboard, and speakers.

 

[snow patrol]

$30 maybe? $50? Not much more...

 

[andylawcc]

50 bucks max for such a 'home' pc, enough to surf the web and ok for Word2000 stuff. but you know anyone that's gonna buy it?

 

[Cuch]

Use it for a Linux firewall...

 

[Sukhoi]

I'd say under $50. A few weeks ago I bought a 486 DX4-100 with 8 MB RAM, 600 MB hard drive, floppy drive, sound card, 1 MB ISA video card, a generic 14" monitor, keyboard, and mouse for $14 at a Goodwill store.

 

[velvtelvis]

it's worth its weight in doorstops

 

[Dan]

A couple of weeks ago I sold a 486, without monitor, for $200. Here's the specs:

Intel 486 DX-100MHz
48MB FPM RAM
Fujitsu 3.35GB Hard Drive
1.44MB Floppy Drive
Creative Labs 24X CD-ROM
Diamond Stealth Video Card, 2MB, VLB
Creative Labs RT300 Video Capture Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 Sound Card
Hayes 56K FAX/Modem
Iomega Ditto Dash Accelerator Card
Iomega Ditto 3.2GB Tape Drive
Full Tower AT Case
250-Watt Power Supply
Windows 98 Keyboard & Mouse
PC Speakers

 

[Mooncalf]

Cuch, I don't think I have a need for a Linux firewall. Would there be a circumstance that I would want to consider using it as a Linux firewall?

Dan, that is about as high end of a 486 that I have ever heard.

 

[andylawcc]

then keep it for yourself, put it in a second place where you may surf the net (the dinning room? the living room).

 

[Mooncalf]

andylawcc, I don't think the odds of me choosing to surf the net on the 486 rather than walking to the next room are that high. Can you imagine that exercise in futility?

 

[Dan]

Your best bet is to donate it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army and take the tax write off.

 

[Marauder73]

HAHHAHAHAHHHAAAA... ahem.... HHAHHAHAHAHHAAAAa... oooh......boy...
But seriously... it doesn't make a bad "Hooked on Phonics" computer for the kids... and if they break it, no big deal!

 

[andylawcc]

sorry, I am real lazy... when I get rich I will most likely install pc everywhere in my house, from toilet to swimming pool, to maximize my AT neffhood

 

[shawnmos]

sell it on e-bay.

 

[chiwawa626]

a 486 is worth its weight in Cheese....not the fancy 2 color one, but just plain old yellow cheese, (whole sale value of course)

 

[Soccerman]

heh, I would want it for an MP3 playback machine! it should work right? hehe..

though I'm going to be getting one for my big stereo anyway soon (upgrades lead to extra parts, lead to computers assumbled from old parts). It would be nice to have that around somewhere else for Internet surfing, or something like that..

 

[WileCoyote]

it's worth however much someone is willing to pay for it.

 

[lagvoid]

i would say 30

 

[Dan]

Mooncalf: You're right. But I've found there is a nice market out there for 486's if you load them up on RAM, add 2-3GB HDD and a 56K modem.

As a group we AnandTecher's tend (naturally) emphasize the latest, greatest, fastest, baddest, whatever in computer technology. As a result we sometimes lose sight of the fact that there are many people who simply want to have an e-mail account (usually via AOL) and do some word processing.

 

[Sunner]

If you have no use for it yourself, I'd give it away to someone who does.
IMO trying to sell old stuff like that isnt worth the trouble.

 

[ndee]

You mean how much you get, when you TAKE a 486?

 

[akashra]

yes, that is a good question. What is the going price for keyrings these days?
=)))

 

[ForeverSilky]

You could probably get $100 at a garage sale. I sold my 386 3 months ago for $150 with some crappy 14" monitor. I was expecting $25-40, but some guy offered me $150 so I took it.

 

[divinemartyr]

Who cares what it's worth? Save it for 40 years, it'll be an antique probably worth some money some day! =)

Soccerman

You need at least a pentium class processor to play mp3's, a 133mhz is as low as you'd want to go for somewhat reliable playback.

dm

 

[SendTrash]

<< You need at least a pentium class processor to play mp3's, a 133mhz is as low as you'd want to go for somewhat reliable playback >>


Not really, a pentium 100 or even 90 does a fine job with mp3s. But haven't tried mp3s on 486, I seriously doubt it will work