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Looking for info on an OLD AST Computers desktop/server system

S

Shadow Lord

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I have been going nuts looking for a certain old AST Computers desktop/server system. The system is from the late 80s/early 90s. I believe it was an AT (as opposed to ATX) style case and was black. Would have probably been a 486DX system. I remember it mostly from a series of articles in PC/Computing (99% sure) in which the author was building the God Box of the day. He used this AST system as the base and worked his way up (e.g. he had 32MB of RAM on board and an addon board w/ another 32MB for a total cost of $2400 for the RAM!) I have searched high and low and have found nothing on this. I have also checked w/ the library and the don't have PC/Computing before 98 so I can not look up the articles! Am I crazy or do any of the old timers remember any of what I am saying! TIA for any help, pictures, model numbers, etc!
 
I wish I did. All I recall from all those years back was that it was cube shaped and black which was of course odd for the day. I know AST made a number of Cubish servers but they were ATX computers. Here is an example of a later model (this one is based on DUAL PIIs) then the one I am thinking of:

Open_House_011.jpg


Appreciate any help as this is driving me nuts!
 
No. It was actually like a cube (like the one in the picture just not quite as big!). Although I am loving the token ring connector on the back of the ebay one! ;)
 
The picture you linked looks like a permanently attached expansion chassis - if you look in the middle there is a definitive meeting point between two otherwise-normal-tower-sized cases. Keep your eyes open for one that's half as wide as you expect, in case they come in both formats.
 
Raven, they may have made it like that (i.e. by putting two towers together) but the unit has a face plate that is one piece.
 
Yeah I understand that, my point is there might be an alternate model that's the same machine but without the expansion chassis - it's just a guess really - just trying to increase your chances of finding this thing by pointing out possibilities.
 
Are you absolutely sure it was an AST? I did some custom searches last night and turned up a couple of sites that listed nearly all AST ever made. They didn't seem to even have a server until the Pentium II 300 Premium Server model. Might you be thinking of companies like SGI?
 
deadcrickets said:
Are you absolutely sure it was an AST? I did some custom searches last night and turned up a couple of sites that listed nearly all AST ever made. They didn't seem to even have a server until the Pentium II 300 Premium Server model. Might you be thinking of companies like SGI?
Click to expand...

AST had servers (the Manhattan line) much earlier. The Infoworld archive includes ads from AST which show the look including at least one system that is both black and close to cubiform. The ad I saw with it was from 1994 so a number years after what the OP recalls.
 
krebizfan said:
AST had servers (the Manhattan line) much earlier. The Infoworld archive includes ads from AST which show the look including at least one system that is both black and close to cubiform. The ad I saw with it was from 1994 so a number years after what the OP recalls.
Click to expand...

We'll use that as the breakpoint for finding it.
 
deadcrickets said:
Are you absolutely sure it was an AST? I did some custom searches last night and turned up a couple of sites that listed nearly all AST ever made. They didn't seem to even have a server until the Pentium II 300 Premium Server model. Might you be thinking of companies like SGI?
Click to expand...

I am 99% sure it was an AST. The system above is an AST server w/ Dual Pentium II 266... I am almost positive those are the original CPUs.
 
1994 might be around the right time... As I said it was late 80s to early 90s (88-94 would be the largest range). The ram expansion was done with an addin board (as was customary at the time). 32mb on the MB and another 32MB on a 32bit ISA memory exapnsion card. Looking at the article you linked to, those prices, wow, just wow! thanks for all the help everyone.
 
krebizfan said:
AST had servers (the Manhattan line) much earlier. The Infoworld archive includes ads from AST which show the look including at least one system that is both black and close to cubiform. The ad I saw with it was from 1994 so a number years after what the OP recalls.
Click to expand...

Do you have linkage to this ad? Thanks!
 
Shadow Lord said:
1994 might be around the right time... As I said it was late 80s to early 90s (88-94 would be the largest range). The ram expansion was done with an addin board (as was customary at the time). 32mb on the MB and another 32MB on a 32bit ISA memory exapnsion card. Looking at the article you linked to, those prices, wow, just wow! thanks for all the help everyone.
Click to expand...
I believe I have an AST memory board somewhere with an unusual edge connector, if that's relevant and of interest to anyone?
 
Thanks for linkage. The AST Manhattan on 64-55 form Nov, 1994 is definitely close. I am guessing then its an older Manhattan server. Maybe an old SMP?
 
Found it!

Found it!

Found it and boy was I wrong! :lookroun: It was an Everex system:

g53777a.jpg


g53777d.jpg


g53777c.jpg


Thanks for everyone's help. Now to get to working on this bad boy!
 
Okay, some more info I dug up. It was called the Everex Step Mega Cube. I believe it uses and EISA MB and can only have memory added via a memory expansion card. I have now bought one of these (only took me 20 years to get one!) and it should arrive tomorrow! It apparently does not boot up/power up so I am going to have to do a whole lot of trouble shooting. I am going to post a seperate thread at this point focusing directly on the computer. Thanks for everyone's help!
 
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