full 640 KB memory on IBM 5150 unnecessary?

[Trixter]

Monument of Mars, Pharaoh's tomb and Arctic adventure are definitely not text based games.

He never wrote that. He mentioned those games, then wrote there are also text-based games that don't run well.

Like the OP, I'm also confused that extremely simple games like those require a faster computer than the original PC. They might be compiled BASIC or something, since they're not complicated and aren't doing much.

Sure Jim, but he can claim that his PC/XT case has 5MB of memory in it.

If so, then my PC/XT case has blood, sweat, tears, memories, and hope in it. (In addition to an 8087.)

 

[amazingco]

Is yours a 5150? Which crystal did you use to reach 6.66 MHz using PC-Sprint?

 

[1ST1]

Sure Jim, but he can claim that his PC/XT case has 5MB of memory in it.

One can also throw out that original IBM mainboard and can put in one of the rare Pentium II/III or AMD K6-2/3 Baby-AT-mainboards into the 51xx case. That fits well. Then you have up to let's say 500...800 MHz - 1 GB MB RAM - 8MB-PCI/AGP-VGA - 4 GB HDD - "XT".

 

[Agent Orange]

One can also throw out that original IBM mainboard and can put in one of the rare Pentium II/III or AMD K6-2/3 Baby-AT-mainboards into the 51xx case. That fits well. Then you have up to let's say 500...800 MHz - 1 GB MB RAM - 8MB-PCI/AGP-VGA - 4 GB HDD - "XT".

Excellent idea. :thumbsup:

 

[modem7]

Sure Jim, but he can claim that his PC/XT case has 5MB of memory in it.

One can also throw out that original IBM mainboard and can put in one of the rare Pentium II/III or AMD K6-2/3 Baby-AT-mainboards into the 51xx case. That fits well. Then you have up to let's say 500...800 MHz - 1 GB MB RAM - 8MB-PCI/AGP-VGA - 4 GB HDD - "XT".

Other considerations:

* Does the motherboard have mounting holes to suit the 51xx case ?
* Does the motherboard's expansion slot connectors line up with the case's slots ?
* Does the motherboard's keyboard connector line up with the case's keyboard hole ?
* Is a new power supply required ?
* Is a new keyboard required (e.g. PC-class to AT-class) ?

 

[pinkdonut666]

if your 5150 is running short on slots, even 256k is probably enough for a stock machine. IMO

Also, I think an Inboard 386 and a total replacement motherboard are two very different things...

With the Inboard 386, the system is still using the stock planar board, stock drives, stock PSU ETC. The machine is still very much an IBM XT, simply with an upgrade board installed, allowing a faster CPU and more memory. but the system remains original.

If you were to gut the case, intall a more modern motherboard, PSU, and SSD, it wouldn't be an XT anymore as nothing but the case is making it a 5160.

You don't have to remove anything that makes it an XT to install an inboard 386, so in a sense its no less an IBM XT

just my $0.02