Having recently acquired quite a few old IBM machines, I’ve been working at getting them all restored and tested.  There was quite a variety of machines, from 286’s to Pentiums.  However, the ones that interested me the most were the various different 486’s.  These weren’t IBM MicroChannel, instead opting for industry standard ISA ports.  That means it’s quite a bit easier to swap parts in and out of them

This particular beast is the PS/ValuePoint 433DX/Si.  Just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?  The ValuePoint series was IBM’s answer to the “IBM-Compatible” market.  It’d be an article in and of itself to explain what was happening, but the short answer is that other manufacturers were beating IBM at its own game.  The PS/2, while a hit with businesses, was very expensive and contained what was essentially a proprietary bus interface (the aforementioned MicroChannel).  In the home and small business market, consumers couldn’t afford the PS/2.  Companies like Compaq and Packard Bell swooped in and serviced that clientele.  IBM wanted back in.

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