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ibm at 5170 wanted

E

ejecta

New Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2008
Messages
3
Looking for IBM PC AT in original condition with original floppy drive
 
I really don't know why people pay $$$ for PC/ATs and PersonalSystem/2s, while PC/XTs and the original PCs usually don't go too high. Revision A 5150 PC's should be just as rare as the PC/ATs.
 
per said:
I really don't know why people pay $$$ for PC/ATs and PersonalSystem/2s, while PC/XTs and the original PCs usually don't go too high. Revision A 5150 PC's should be just as rare as the PC/ATs.
Click to expand...

Maybe because the 5170 is more the grandaddy of PC's we all know today?
The 5150's are more easy to come by, a 286 CPU is also more "usable" for vintage gaming etc
 
thanks for reply
I am located in tennessee

I will try to check the italian ebay site to send him a message
 
I was looking for an AT fairly recently as well. I couldn't find a complete one at a decent price so I ended up piecing one together. I got the case and power supply from Ebay then bought the motherboard and hard drive locally. I already had keyboard, video card and monitor.
 
Yes, I seems international shipping is an option, but I wonder if the unit voltage would be changable to 110v
also, if anyone has any knowledge on the matter, were there any other ROM, etc differences in the units that were made in UK
thanks in advance
 
Okay, you collectors, I've got a question.

Suppose you had a 5170 case, keyboard and iBM monitor, but under the 'hood" was a third-party motherboard, but with the 5170 BIOS installed. As far as what it runs, or won't run, you can't tell any difference from the real thing. IBM's own diagnositcs pass.

Is this "as good as" or "much inferior" to an echt 5170. If the latter, why?
 
Nope, not as good as an IBM 5170. Yes, functionally, it's the same. But hell, a rusty old Ford Tempo will get you from point A to point B just the same as a Corvette. Functionally, they do the same thing, right?

Now sure, the IBM would look genuine, and it wouldn't matter to most. A computer is a computer, just the same as transportation. But us collectors want it to be genuine. An IBM mobo with an IBM case, a Corvette engine in a Corvette instead of a 2.8 L4 from an S10.

I'm not calling the setup inferior. I'm calling it unethical to put a Tandy/AT&T/Dell board in an IBM case.

--Jack
 
Chuck(G) said:
Okay, you collectors, I've got a question.

Suppose you had a 5170 case, keyboard and iBM monitor, but under the 'hood" was a third-party motherboard, but with the 5170 BIOS installed. As far as what it runs, or won't run, you can't tell any difference from the real thing. IBM's own diagnositcs pass.

Is this "as good as" or "much inferior" to an echt 5170. If the latter, why?
Click to expand...

You take out the fake MB and try to replace it with an original AT Motherboard from IBM..
 
I have an XT with an 8Mhz Turbo motherboard in it that has an IBM BIOS complete with ROM BASIC but I don't consider it an IBM XT, it's a clone, a good clone, but a clone nonetheless.

I feel that in order for it to be genuine it has to have an IBM mobo.
 
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That was the nub of my question.

Unlike the car comparison, 5170 mobos were easy to clone--IBM made no secret of the circuitry (it's in the techref) and used commodity parts. About the only thing about a 5170 mobo that was IBM was the PCB itself, sans components and the firmware inside the keyboard controller and BIOS. It's very possible to set up a third-party mobo in a 5170 case that's indistinguishable by any test you can devise from a "real" IBM mobo (short of opening the case and inspecting the mobo).

But then, how about peripherals? Is it desirable to have the original floppy and hard disk? Does having someone else's hard disk make it less desirable?

A lot of people bought non-IBM peripherals because they were less expensive and performed as well as, or better than the IBM originals.

Basically, what I've been trying to understand is the golden standard; functionality or provenance? Is a 5170 with a nonfunctioning original mobo better than a 5170 with a working 100% compatible motherboard?
 
You'll excuse me for saying so, but, something saying IBM on it doesn't make it a superior product, it just makes it an IBM product.

Pretty much any clone of any IBM product was faster, more compatible with cards and peripherals (thanks to 3rd party BIOSes), less expensive and with more bang for your buck.

IBM has a history, of course. A history of resting on their laurels.

I don't see the facsination with IBM equipment. They may have been innovative, at first, but the VALUE of their products quickly fell off and they spent a lot of time playing "catch-up" after that.

Soon, they were the LAST to adopt a new class of motherboards and to try and steer the industry to micro-channel was a major fiasco.

Their only saving grace became an old expression of "No one ever got fired for buying IBM"

When I started my first company, I didn't run out and buy IBM, I bought TWO more powerful clones for less than the price of 1 IBM.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Okay, you collectors, I've got a question.

Suppose you had a 5170 case, keyboard and IBM monitor, but under the 'hood" was a third-party motherboard, but with the 5170 BIOS installed. As far as what it runs, or won't run, you can't tell any difference from the real thing. IBM's own diagnostics pass.

Is this "as good as" or "much inferior" to an echt 5170. If the latter, why?
Click to expand...

Is an Apple II with a replacement/clone motherboard worth as much as one with the original board? Nope. Same goes for the AT. What's most important is the external stuff; monitor, drives, power supply, and chassis. The motherboard is next most important, and lastly the controllers. Ephemera (disks, manuals, boxes) are also a factor.

I bet that there were discount vendors selling "upgraded" AT's with non IBM upgrade parts.

bd
 
A sign of the times; when they were current, replacing the IBM video card, hard disk & floppy controller and drives (not to mention the PC power supply) with better non-IBM stuff made 'em worth *more*...
 
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