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Value of IBM PS/2 Model 90 486 XP

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DIGIREN

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Joined
Jul 25, 2011
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I have an old IBM PS/2 Model 90 486 XP running a 32 bit novel win 3.1 overlay. Working Perfectly and in good condition. I was wondering if someone could tell me the approx. value because i haven't been able to find another one online. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :) Also i could post pictures if necessary.
 
Take the following for what you will: as always, "worth" is a relative term, and varies with demand.

I traded a NOS PCjr with monitor and several accessories for one awhile back. It was at stock 486DX-50 complex w/ 16mb RAM, but did include an XGA-2 card (not installed). I wanted it because I already had several complexes which would work in the system, and also because a replacement (backup) motherboard could be had for $10 from one particular eBay seller.

Also, a complete system recently sold at auction for $51 + $30 fixed shipping: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220795305060

Not sure how long the link will last. Seller's auction notes posted for posterity:

"The PS/2 models 90 and 95 XP were some of the first 486 systems available. They were also easily, if expensively, upgradeable to newer processors.

- IBM PS/2 Model 90 XP, 9590-0LF
- Originally equipped with a Type-2 L 486 DX-2 50 MHz processor complex, I have upgraded it to a Type-4 Q 66 MHz Pentium complex. (1st gen, socket 4.) BIOS level 08.
- 256 KB of L2 cache, controlled by an Intel 80496 cache controller on the complex.
- Eight 72-pin SIMM slots (two risers with 4 slots each)
- 48 MB total memory: 4x 8 MB and 4x 4 MB 70ns SIMMs.
- Four 32-bit MCA slots
- Although there is an integrated XGA-2 graphics chip, it has only 512KB of VRAM. I couldn’t find the right kind of ZIP chips to upgrade it, so I just added a 1 MB XGA-2 card to get 1024x768 at 256 color (non-interlaced) resolution in Windows.
- IBM SCSI card with 512 KB cache (often called Spock and it is a type 3)
- 2 GB Seagate SCSI hard drive. I can also provide the original 400 MB SCSI drive if you ask for it, no extra charges.
- I have installed a 10x SCSI CD-RW drive in the 5.25” expansion bay, but I lacked the correct mounting hardware so it is a little flimsy and looks more than a little stupid. But it works and is easily removed since I didn’t modify/damage anything to install it.
- IBM-supplied 1.44 MB 3.5” floppy
- Board uses a standard CR2032 CMOS battery, so it will be easy to replace.
- Case has some minor rust on the bottom, but is otherwise in good shape. I don’t have the full cover for the drive bay if you prefer to remove the optical drive.
- PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports, 2 serial, one parallel ports.
- Dual boots to Windows 95 and IBM OS/2 2.0
- For the Windows 95 operating system I have installed the good drivers for the XGA-2 and SCSI cards.
- Lots of software is installed, including Norton Utilities and about 45 old games including SimCity, SimAnt and SimLife on the Windows OS.
- I don’t have any software for OS/2, though it can run a number of Windows applications.
- If you want I can install Windows 3.11 and the same software in place of Windows 95, but it will take me a couple extra days to ship. I can get rid of Win95 and/or OS/2 entirely as well.
- I added a 92 mm fan internally at 5v blowing on the expansion cards. The processor complex gets pretty hot otherwise. There actually is a spot on the expansion-card holding bracket that fits a 92 mm fan perfectly, but fan is just taped in place, since I didn’t want to dismantle the system to use the available screw holes
 
DIGIREN said:
I have an old IBM PS/2 Model 90 486 XP running a 32 bit novel win 3.1 overlay. Working Perfectly and in good condition. I was wondering if someone could tell me the approx. value because i haven't been able to find another one online. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :) Also i could post pictures if necessary.
Click to expand...

Any special cards in it (sound card, special controllers, etc), how much RAM, any other storage (CD, tape drive, WORM etc) installed?

For the most part they are collectable and people will pay a few bucks for them but shipping can be a deal breaker (where are you located)?

Condition is important to collectors also. A generic system might be worth $20-50 to somebody local, good luck selling it if you have to ship it far. If you have any interesting upgrades then the price goes up (or it might be worth more just parted out).
 
Unknown_K said:
Any special cards in it (sound card, special controllers, etc), how much RAM, any other storage (CD, tape drive, WORM etc) installed?

For the most part they are collectable and people will pay a few bucks for them but shipping can be a deal breaker (where are you located)?

Condition is important to collectors also. A generic system might be worth $20-50 to somebody local, good luck selling it if you have to ship it far. If you have any interesting upgrades then the price goes up (or it might be worth more just parted out).
Click to expand...

Well It Has a token ring card in it. its got the 486 dx2 with an intel overdrive. Its in pretty good condition and i also have some token ring hubs and a ps/2 model that no one has ever heard of...They are called pro branch machines... so ill post pictures of both in a bit for more info..... {thanks for your help too maverick}
 
DSCF4540.jpg
this is the ps/2 (front view)
DSCF4542.jpg
this is the back view of the ps2 with the token ring card being the first one on the left
DSCF4543.jpg
Inside view of the ps/2
DSCF4547.jpg
And one of the types of IBM PROBRANCH machines that i have
DSCF4548.jpg
This is the second type of that machine...

The ones im really wondering about are the IBM pro branch machines. i've never seen them before.
 
AFAIK Token Ring equipment is probably the most common peripheral you'll find in a PS/2.

The IBM ProBranch system looks like it was used in banks? Almost no hits on Google...
 
linuxlove said:
AFAIK Token Ring equipment is probably the most common peripheral you'll find in a PS/2.

The IBM ProBranch system looks like it was used in banks? Almost no hits on Google...
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, i knew about the token ring. And the pro branch machines were used in banks. Thats where i got all of this stuff from. I just need help Valuing and finding out a bit more about the pro branch machines.
 
The IBM model number for the "ProBranch" systems is going to be 7429. I've not heard of these systems before, but there are a bunch of unusual computers and terminals they produced for specific areas or customers. Note, even though it is close to the same size and features of a system like the IBM PS/2 Model 33, it is not a PS/2.

A look of the inards would be interesting, whether it is compatible with PC's, or a terminal...

My money is on it having an IBM 486SLC2-50 CPU...
 
RWallmow said:
I can see from the photos they are ISA bus, not micro-channel, so they are probably not very PS2 in their lineage, guessing low end maybe even diskless PCs to act more or less as dumb terminals, probably boot from NICs.
Click to expand...

Actually they boot from a HD its 300 meg. pc dos 6.10 with a banker overlay
 
DIGIREN said:
Actually they boot from a HD its 300 meg. pc dos 6.10 with a banker overlay
Click to expand...
Interesting most those "terminal" (Bank, Point of Sale, etc...) type computers of that time frame were usually diskless, strange, but not unheard of that they have local hard disk though.
 
Not realy a dumb terminal then, just a workstation which interfaces to a server to hold and manipulate all the real data.
 
Unknown_K said:
Not realy a dumb terminal then, just a workstation which interfaces to a server to hold and manipulate all the real data.
Click to expand...

Yeah and the ibm ps/2 model 90 the one that i started this post about was the server to the pro branches.

And The prosessor is actually a cyrix 486 DX2 ill post pics of the inards tommorow. So i get your money IBMMuseum

P.S. if any of you live in the elkhart indiana area. I am having a sale thursday with a bunch of old pc parts. if anyone wants to stop by ill bring out the good stuff (the working pc's) out for you. just pm me and ill give u the address.
 
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Pics of inards.

Pics of inards.

Processor.jpg
The Cpu. These are used in Both machines.
Type 7429 plain.jpg
7429 plain
7429-aaa.jpg
7429-AAA
 
I've got to say, those are some really interesting machines! I too have never heard of them, but they have a similar appearance to the PS/2e's if anyone remembers those so probably came out at around the same time.
 
DIGIREN said:
Thank you. Does anyone have any info of the value of these?
Click to expand...
Value is really subject to interpretation, I think FAIR value would be ~$30 per unit on the ProBranch boxes and MAYBE as high as $50 on the PS2, depending on options/configuration.

But those prices are subject to what other people would be willing to pay, you might get A LOT more if someone REALLY wants that specific model, you might get A LOT less in an open no reserve auction in a weak market. Either way I wouldn't expect to become rich on them, but if you got them for free as scrap or at scrap prices, you can probably make a little money on them.

EDIT: *My pricing is based on a combination of pricing in my area and some ebay, somewhat averaged. Each market is different, and since I don't know your location, that's all I can go by.

EDIT2: I see you are in Indiana based off comments earlier, I would guess your local market is similar to mine. Most of the US markets are close, had you been overseas all bets were off, lol.
 
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DIGIREN said:
Thank you. Does anyone have any info of the value of these?
Click to expand...

It entirely depends on what people are willing to pay. The machines are not all that rare, so I don't think the demand will be all that high. I'd probably agree with RWallmow in that the ProBranch machines are right around $30 ea (I'd pay that for one) and the IBM is right around the $50 mark (less if you were to ship it, and maybe a little more if the buyer was local).
 
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