Re: [Fwd: -- DEC ALPHA 166MHz MULTIA'S ----> $99 <----]

[Bruce Smith <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I did a little research on these machines about a year ago when they were 
going in the $300-$400 range (with disk & memory) on the online auctions.

My research turned up the following info:

1)  They are roughly the same speed as a Pentium 75 or 90 except 
    for floating point operations, where they are a little faster.
      (confirmed by many responses to my newsgroup inquiry)
2)  They only use SCSI devices (no IDE).
3)  Limited supply of supported cards for the Alphas in general.
      (especially for things like sound cards)
4)  Many software packages do not supply Alpha binaries or rpm files.

It sounds like these machines come without any memory or SCSI disk.
By the time you add that, you may spend as much or more as a low-end
(and faster) Pentium PC would cost.

Personally I'd need a better reason than just price to buy one.
OTOH, if you want some Alpha experence, or you have some SCSI 
disks and DEC memory collecting dust, or you just like to play 
with new hardware, it may not be a bad deal.

--------------------------------------------
Bruce Smith                bruce@armintl.com
System Administrator / Network Administrator
Armstrong International, Inc.
Three Rivers, Michigan  49093  USA
http://www.armstrong-intl.com/
--------------------------------------------

> 
> This might be an intersting project machine.
> -- 
> 
> 
> -Mike List
> 
> --------------
> DEC Multia's are now available through our own website
> HTTP://WWW.CPUMICROMART.COM for $99.
> 
> We recently purchased DEC's entire remaining inventory of Alpha Multia's.
> 
> The Multia is a 166mhz DEC Alpha (cpu 21066-AA), with integrated SVGA,
> sound, ethernet,  2 PCMCIA slots, and a floppy drive.  It makes a great
> inexpensive Linux, BSD, or Windows NT workstation.  We also have components
> such as hard drive and memory upgrades available, such as 64MB True Parity
> RAM - 2 SIMMS for $139.00
> 
> We currently have the VX-40 model in our warehouse.  Currently, we only have
> the version with Internal SCSI-2 connector.  If you would like to use
> external drives, a commonly available cable can be mounted into the Multia.
> 
> We were formerly auctioning the Multia through Onsale.com, and are now
> selling our remaining inventory directly.
> 
> You can do secure, online ordering through our website.  The original Multia
> hardware service guide is also available there, in .PDF format.
> 
> We do ship internationally with UPS, with payment by major credit card.
> Average shipping cost to Europe has been between $100-$150.
> 
> 
> If you are a reseller interested in ordering in quantities greater than 10,
> there are quantity discounts available.
> 
> CPU Micromart
> HTTP://WWW.CPUMICROMART.COM