# Looking for an obsolete computer part.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 25, 2001, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017 "2001-08-25T00:16:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/1 "2001-08-25T00:16:34Z")
I’ve checked eBay and [oldcomputerparts.com](http://oldcomputerparts.com) but can’t find what I’m looking for. This isn’t surprising since what I’m looking for is an esm memory expansion card, which hasn’t been around for a very long time. Now obviously I don’t need it, but it would be nice to own a peice of computing history, and I thought of a use for it in a 486 I own. So if anybody knows of a web site or anywhere else I could look for it, please let me know. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/2 "2001-08-25T00:17:35Z")
try [pricewatch.com](http://pricewatch.com)? they have a few old parts floating around there.
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### Author:  [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/3 "2001-08-25T02:25:08Z")
Ok, thanks. I’ll give it a try.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/4 "2001-08-25T03:20:44Z")
You mean an “EMS” card for expanded memory? Saw one on eBay a couple weeks ago but not tonight.
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### Author:  [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/5 "2001-08-25T05:24:12Z")
Howyadoin,
If you’re running a 486, odds are memory expansion cards will not work (or at least work properly) in that motherboard. Memory cards were more used in the 286 days. The only exception is most newer IDE controllers that are on cards. They have RAM for caching disk data, but that’s different from what you are talking about.
-Rav
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### Author:  [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/6 "2001-08-25T05:57:29Z")
I had one lying around, but I depopulated it years ago and used the chips on an Amiga RAM board I still use in my A2000. I think it got thrown out in my last hardware purge back in March. It wouldn’t work properly in any system with more than 1MB RAM on the motherboard and it only held 8MB of RAM, max. With just about any 486, you can easily exceed that using the onboard SIMM sockets. Besides that, you’ll have a tough time finding 256kb_8 or or 256kb_32 SIMMs to keep main system RAM under 1MB. I’ve never seen a 486 board with a memory limitation lower than 16MB.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/7 "2001-08-25T06:10:02Z")
It would probably be far less expensive and less problematic to simply upgrade the old (assuming) 30 pin SIMMS on the board to their max maximum config than fooling with an old EMS card and the required drivers for same.
For that matter inexpensive Pentium AT mobo’s and a 200 mhz Pentium or AMD CPU combo can most likely be had for around $ 45.00 or so on Ebay etc. Many of these mobo’s will take 100 mhz DIMMS which are _super_ cheap right now.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/8 "2001-08-25T06:12:45Z")
FYI
[http://www.electric-words.com/dict/e/expansionmemory.html](http://www.electric-words.com/dict/e/expansionmemory.html)
"expansion memory
This is a very vague expression for memory chips on an adaptor card. It is add-in memory on a multi-function memory board, and it comes in 8-, 16-, and 32-bit banks. These cards were widely used in the early PCs.
Since all of the 80286 and later PCs came with the full 1MByte of memory on the motherboard, expansion cards were used to provide memory at locations above 1MByte, in the area of the memory map we now call ‘high-memory’. This can be used in three ways:
By operating systems other than MS-DOS, directly in their ‘native’ mode. Unix and OS/2 use the memory in this way.
By later MS-DOS versions and applications which could use it directly as ‘extended memory’.
By early MS-DOS versions and applications, which could only use it indirectly by bank-switching. This is EMS and expanded memory.
Any type of memory that can plug into an expansion slot can be generally referred to as expansion memory – and that encompasses memory used for expanded memory (EMS), enhanced EMS (EEMS) and extended memory cards."
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### Author:  [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/9 "2001-08-25T06:30:49Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by astro \*
> \*\*FYI
> Since all of the 80286 and later PCs came with the full 1MByte of memory on the motherboard, expansion cards were used to provide memory at locations above 1MByte, in the area of the memory map we now call ‘high-memory’. This can be used in three ways:
> .
> .
> .
> By later MS-DOS versions and applications which could use it directly as ‘extended memory’.
>
> By early MS-DOS versions and applications, which could only use it indirectly by bank-switching. This is EMS and expanded memory.
> Any type of memory that can plug into an expansion slot can be generally referred to as expansion memory – and that encompasses memory used for expanded memory (EMS), enhanced EMS (EEMS) and extended memory cards." \*\*
[D.B. Cooper mode… engaged]
::shudder::
Oh, yeah, that’s why I stuck with the Amiga for so long…
[sub]Incidentally, as long as we’re swapping here, anyone interested in Amiga stuff? I’ve got some very good, very rare stuff, lemme know…
-“Only Amiga Makes It Possible”
-Rav
[/sub]
[Stand down from hijack mode and thanks for flying Air Orr!]
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### Author:  [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/10 "2001-08-25T13:55:33Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by astro \*
> \*\*It would probably be far less expensive and less problematic to simply upgrade the old (assuming) 30 pin SIMMS on the board to their max maximum config than fooling with an old EMS card and the required drivers for same.
>
> For that matter inexpensive Pentium AT mobo’s and a 200 mhz Pentium or AMD CPU combo can most likely be had for around $ 45.00 or so on Ebay etc. Many of these mobo’s will take 100 mhz DIMMS which are _super_ cheap right now. \*\*
I am going to put the maximum amount of memory that I can on the 486. I don’t want to replace it because I specifically want to work with a 486. If I ever need more speed or power, I have this computer that I’m typing this message with. Anyway, I thought of a use for an ems memory expansion board, but if it won’t work if the computer has more than one meg, then it’s not worth it.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/11 "2001-08-25T19:10:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Joel \*
> \*\*If I ever need more speed or power, I have this computer that I’m typing this message with. \*\*
Ahhhh! A thinker after my own heart!
Off to write a story on a Tandy Model 100!
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### Author:  [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/12 "2001-08-25T19:25:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by The\_Raven \*
> [sub]Incidentally, as long as we’re swapping here, anyone interested in Amiga stuff? I’ve got some very good, very rare stuff, lemme know…
>
> -“Only Amiga Makes It Possible”
>
> -Rav
> [/sub]
> [Stand down from hijack mode and thanks for flying Air Orr!] \*\*
Darn straight!
I stil have an Amiga 1000, which I used until 4 years ago when I moved. The floppy drive doesn’t work now, and all my disks got wiped out. Amiga was the best computer ever made, in my opinion. My email’s in the profile.
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### Author:  [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2001, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-obsolete-computer-part/78017/13 "2001-08-25T23:45:29Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by astro \*
> \*\*FYI
>
> [http://www.electric-words.com/dict/e/expansionmemory.html](http://www.electric-words.com/dict/e/expansionmemory.html)
>
> "expansion memory
>
> This is a very vague expression for memory chips on an adaptor card. It is add-in memory on a multi-function memory board, and it comes in 8-, 16-, and 32-bit banks. These cards were widely used in the early PCs.
>
> Since all of the 80286 and later PCs came with the full 1MByte of memory on the motherboard, expansion cards were used to provide memory at locations above 1MByte, in the area of the memory map we now call ‘high-memory’. This can be used in three ways:
>
> By operating systems other than MS-DOS, directly in their ‘native’ mode. Unix and OS/2 use the memory in this way.
>
> By later MS-DOS versions and applications which could use it directly as ‘extended memory’.
>
> By early MS-DOS versions and applications, which could only use it indirectly by bank-switching. This is EMS and expanded memory.
> Any type of memory that can plug into an expansion slot can be generally referred to as expansion memory – and that encompasses memory used for expanded memory (EMS), enhanced EMS (EEMS) and extended memory cards." \*\*
I know all about extended memory, expanded memory, conventional memory, real mode, protected mode, Dos, Windows, and so on.