Hardware For Sale/Trade

Digital (Equipment Corporation) Personal WorkStation 500au (or DEC PWS 500au , for short), second generation with the extra I/O, with the following:

• 500 MHz 21164A/EV56 processor (socketed);
• 1½ Gbytes ECC RAM;
• DEC (DE500?) 10/100BASE-TX ethernet NIC on-board;
• DEC DE450 NIC with AUI, Coax and UTP (PCI);
• PowerStorm 3D30 (TGA2, SN-PBXGB-AA, PCI);
• DEC KZPBA (QLogic ISP1020) SCSI HBA on-board;
• DEC KZPBA SCSI HBA (PCI add-on);
• Ensoniq ES1888 audio on-board;
• Cypress USB controller on-board;
• latest SRM loaded for it, V7.2-1 (2000).

Instead of the PowerStorm 3D30, I alternatively also have a PowerStorm 3D10T (ELSA GLoria Synergy, PBXGK-BB). No disks, although I may arrange one or two (contact me for more details). There are two of these systems available, with the above specifications and options, are available. (One of the systems may have a failing NVRAM battery, but it's fortunately a standard ‘miniature cell’ type.) I also cleaned the systems thoroughly recently. The systems work fine with VMS V8.4, to name something.

As far as trading goes, I'd be prepared to trade a system, or maybe two, for SGI systems and parts of interest.

[• Update 11-OCT-2012: Changed the formatting.
• Update 11-OCT-2012: Mentioned specific items of interest to trade.
• Update 22-OCT-2012: Slightly new situation.
• Update 11-DEC-2012: One is sold, the other one reserved.]

Added some pictures to this thread as well.

What would a ballpark price be for one of these? + shipping to the US

It's best if you sent me a private message, make sure to also mention what kind of configuration you have in mind. As I've indicated, I'm most interested in trading (preferably with SGI parts).

My Digital PWS433 and an AXPpci33 based system in a PC case went to Ireland. IIRC, it was close to the weight limit of what you can ship with the regular mail (30kg).

I don't remember the shipping cost, but it wasn't cheap.

The PWS 500au isn't 30 kg, as far as I remember (e.g. reading from QuickSpecs) and can tell, especially without disks. I'll naturally weigh one myself, to be absolutely sure, once there's serious interest and when there's a desire to have one or more shipped.

Shipping is what it is, nothing new there. If one cares to run the latest version of VMS (without having to emulate), Digital/Tru64 UNIX or whatever, with a graphics head and such, it would be worth the price in my opinion. Alphas can be scarce, especially the more desktop/-oriented ones; the PWS 500au also has audio and even USB on-board, which is a nice touch.

One is sold, the other is reserved and about to be sold.

Both are sold now. (I'll also be selling an rx2620 this week, although I can't update the thread because it's still ‘locked’.)