Old Computer System

[HalfCrazy]

Just today I was given a very old computer. Right now all I know is it's a old 486 processor. Plus had two hard drives in the system 853.6 MB Western Digital and a Maxtor 346 MB I think.

Any ways after doing some searching on google. I cant seem to find the answer I'm trying to find. On the motherboard it looks like it has a 2nd processor socket. But the info I found on the net sofar is calling it a NPC socket. Only really words or numbers standing out to maybe tell me what board is it. I found ISA-486 stamped on it and the version of 1.3 stamped on it. Plus it has what looks to be 7 ISA slots and some kind of a 8th slot.

Below is a few pics of the system, maybe it will help some. Also is there some kind of a DOS program that can tell me who made the motherboard and info on it maybe ?

Pic #1
Pic #2
Pic #3
Pic #4

 

[imported_Kensai]

A blast from the past, though I doubt you'll find who masde the maker of the mobo.

 

[HalfCrazy]

You could be right about that. But the info I did found is calling the 2nd socket a NPC. The info I found had a black and white drawing on the mobo. Which looked like the very same board in this system.

 

[Garlic]

The extra socket is for a co-processor. The 486 was the integration of the math (FPU) co-processor and the integer unit on one core. The only exception was the 486SX which did not have an integrated co-processor but was cheaper than the 486DX which had the co-processor integrated on the core. You can see in the pic you have a 486DX so the extra co-processor is not needed since its already in the CPU.

I guess you we not around in the good old 386/486 days... not many people in these forums are.

Im assuming the 486DX in there is 33mhz also since the 66mhz models were highly recommended to have a heatsink.

 

[VirtualLarry]

It might be a socket for a Weitek (?) math co-proc too. I have a 386/486 mobo like that. What a blast from the past, I used to have a number of systems like that, back in the day. The extra-long slot was probably a proprietary local-bus connector or something, they had those back in the pre-VLB 486 days.
Btw, not to be a downer, but the only thing really usable out of that system is the full-tower AT case, which might be retrofittable to hold something newer, like a Slot-1 AT mobo or something.

 

[HalfCrazy]

Originally posted by: Garlic
The extra socket is for a co-processor. The 486 was the integration of the math (FPU) co-processor and the integer unit on one core. The only exception was the 486SX which did not have an integrated co-processor but was cheaper than the 486DX which had the co-processor integrated on the core. You can see in the pic you have a 486DX so the extra co-processor is not needed since its already in the CPU.

I guess you we not around in the good old 386/486 days... not many people in these forums are.

Im assuming the 486DX in there is 33mhz also since the 66mhz models were highly recommended to have a heatsink.

I was around the old 386/486 days. My first computer was a custom build 486 computer that was given to me. Course I did not know much about format the hdd and reinstall windows and ect. I really started to learn about computer on a P-233mhz system. Then I got to know more about them from there.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: HalfCrazy

I was around the old 386/486 days. My first computer was a custom build 486 computer that was given to me. Course I did not know much about format the hdd and reinstall windows and ect. I really started to learn about computer on a P-233mhz system. Then I got to know more about them from there.

Those were the days. I remember ICQ took so long to start up that I had time to go downstairs and make coffee and go back upstairs before it initiated on a 233 system. And now people upgrade to save 5 seconds of their life.