[Info-vax] Prices of Microvax 3100's

[Steven Schweda]

> Are they "worth it"?  No.
>
> Not when you consider capability.

   One "capability" such machines have is the capability to
replace a similar machine with ease.  This may have
considerable worth to someone who's doing serious work with
such a system.

   Note that a late-model MicroVAX 3100 system is not
especially similar to an early-model VAXstation 3100.  One
may still command a serious price, while the other hasn't
done so for a long while.

> The problem I see is that the MV3100 systems all used 50 pin SCSI disks.  As far as I know
> these haven't been manufactured for years, and disks don't last forever.  I was told that
> SCSI to SATA adapters haven't seemed to work very well.  Have no personal experience.

   80-pin (SCA) drives and SCA-to-50-pin adapters are cheap
and abundant, and work just fine.

   Note that a late-model MicroVAX 3100 system is not subject
to the 1GB disk-size limit.