168-Pin 8MB DIMM, Untested, Pentium 430VX/TX Power Mac 44/55/6500 series vintage For Sale
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168-Pin 8MB DIMM, Untested, Pentium 430VX/TX Power Mac 44/55/6500 series vintage
Price: US $10.00
8 Megabyte 168-pin DIMM for early Pentium and Apple PowerMac 4400/5500/6500 series Mac
Because it's natively 64-bit, a single module fills an entire Pentium or PowerPC memory bank without needing to be installed in matched pairs like 72-pin SIMMs.
What Makes This One Extra Special?
Low Density 168-Pin: 168-pin DIMMs became famous during the SDRAM era (64MB, 128MB, 256MB). Finding an 8MB EDO DIMM is a rare beast from that brief transitional cross-over era (around 1995-1997) when motherboards started featuring 168-pin slots alongside 72-pin SIMM slots, but before SDRAM took over.
5V vs. 3.3V EDO: Many early 168-pin EDO DIMMs ran on 5V (common in late Pentium Intel 430VX/TX boards or Apple Power Macs like the 4400/5500/6500 series), while others were 3.3V. The key notches on the edge connector enforce which voltage socket it fits into.
The 74FCT16244 Buffers: Because early 64-bit memory buses suffered from high line capacitance when driving unbuffered DIMM traces directly across 168 pins, those IDT buffer chips clean up address and control signals between the edge contacts and the DRAMs.
Definitely a special one - 168-pin EDO sticks are a fun piece of mid-90s hardware transition history!
Without a system to test it with, I have to sell it as-is, for parts or potentially not working.
